Cosmic Joke
by yourdeadwafflecone
Summary: Movieverse crackfic- The Allspark is gone, Megatron was turned into a human, Sam is the most wanted man in the world...what else could go wrong...well, just about everything else. Bridges movies 1 & 2. All cannon pairings present. MegatronxMaggie
1. A duty most absurd

The cosmic joke

2007 Movieverse

What if the Allspark had a sense of humor? What if Bumblebee was a fan of ABBA? What if Megatron was Mikaela's uncle? Transformers silliness ensues! Crackfic.

This started as a joke between a friend and I after looking at the rumors of the Transformers sequel. We rented Transformers: The Movie and the live action Transformers, to feed our fangirlish flames. High on sugar cookies and hot chocolate, I began to type up a whole bunch of what-ifs that eventually spawned this crack filled fanfic. It has randomness, humor, a tiny bit of seriousness and one instance of adultish BotXHuman horizontal, nothing explict though.

Now, before reading, I'd like to thank my beta tester 'Hellhath' for his typo spotting ability, and his amazing brain for being able to stand my atrocious spelling. Despite both not being Transformers fans. I'd also like to thank my buddy Christina for planting her crack inspired ideas into my head every weekend.

Oh, and just so you know, this fic has all the established pairings from the movie verse. But there's one crack pairing in here, which will be made known in later chapters. So no complaining about not including slash or yuri or whatsit...sorry. No can do. If you don't like straight couples, don't read.

Now, on to the strangeness that is 'Cosmic Joke'!

Nutritional facts: Contains high amounts of Allsparkness and insects

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 1- A duty most absurd

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sam didn't know what happened. One second he was holding the Allspark in his hands, directly to Megatron's spark aka his heart. The next second however, he was covered with some weird glowing blue light. A light that engulfed the nearest beings in the area. Namely Sam and Megatron. Everything else was gone. The city, the Autobots, everything. It was like some white void of non-existence. This literally scared the -beep- out of him, because if the old metal monster woke up due to this light, and found him next to him, he was officially screwed. But before he thought of any and all possible ways to get out of this situation. A voice called out to him.

" Human." said a deep, yet very calming voice from a blue glowing ball of light right above him. " Sam Witwicky." it said again.

Sam looked at the ball of light curiously. Somehow, but not knowing exactly how, he knew this voice and light belonged to the Allspark. There was just no denying it. It's presence and energy flooding the entire space that Sam and Megatron occupied just now. Best to not let it wait, Sam cleared his throat...

" Um..yea?" he answered nervously, not knowing how to address a previously giant alien cube. Your cubeness? He didn't know. He just decided to roll with it. After all, this Allspark thing, was like the Cybertronian equalvalnet to a god. No telling what this thing could do if it got angered in some way. And he was not going to be the first human to find out either.

" Sam Witwicky. You are a very brave young man. I have been watching you and I'm going to give a duty....before I depart."

A duty? What exactly did that entail? If the Allspark was giving him, a mere human, a duty..that must mean it's a pretty big deal.

" This duty is not to be taken lightly. Although little interaction is required, you will be in charge of keeping watch over Megatron."

'Say what?!' Thought Sam. 'Oh nononono!'

Keep watch on the most evil being in the universe? Not happening. And the Allspark was going to allow him to live? Why? He killed millions upon millions of beings and planets...almost destoryed Mission City, and was hell-bent of the extermination of the entire human race. And he was going to live to cause more chaos?

" Excuse me...um, your Allsparkness. But, why are you allowing someone as evil as Megatron live? You do know that he.."

" Yes, I'm aware of his actions. I'm also aware of yours. Megatron has killed many, but did you not kill him too? Optimus' brother and only living sibling?"

'Oh god! I killed his brother!? He didn't tell me they were related!' he thought, while looking at the giant metal corpse of Megatron. Great. He was a hero in his own right, but he also made Optimus an only child. And while old Megs wasn't the most sane member of the Prime family, Sam didn't want to take away the last bit of family Optimus had.

" Sam Witwicky." said the voice again. " Your duty is to oversee Megatron's actions, as I am going to give him a second chance to redeem himself. I have done this once before with another being, but he had failed me. I wish to see Megatron succeed where the other didn't. He did not have guidance, but you will fit that purpose nicely."

" What if I don't want to watch him?"

" I have considered that possibility as well. I have a few things I can do that would be...rather unpleasant. I do not ever wish to kill any living being, but I can make it so, you would wish you were dead."

Sam gulped. Ok, the Allspark wasn't exactly asking him to do this, it was ordering him to do this. 'No' isn't an option.

" But why me? Isn't there someone else? This duty would be better suited to one of his kind. Maybe even Optimus himself, since they're family and all. I mean, what do I know about Cybertronians?"

" Who said he would be Cybertronian?" it said with a hint of mischievousness.

" What?..W..what do you mean by.."

But before Sam could finish, the Allspark suddenly began to glow brightly. And just as it started, it stopped, and the blue light faded around them. Sam was temporarly blinded for a minute, until he realized where he was. Back in Mission City, on the street, on the ground, with Optimus just left of him on the sidewalk. Mikaela was running toward him from the tow truck with Bumblebee. Sam smiled, they were was ok. 'Thank you god! Thank you!' He cried silently as Mikaela called out for him again.

" Sam!" shouted Mikaela, wrapping herself around him. Fearing he might diappear again. " Are you alright? You disappeared and then came back. What happened?"

While he was glad Mikaela was alive and well, Sam was still a little dazed over the events that took place. Things were just going by way too fast for him. First the Allspark, and then this weird duty. He was beginning to wonder if this was some really messed up dream. Or that he got knocked out by some flying debris when he killed...

" Megatron!" he shouted, getting up suddenly, only to feel really light-headed and almost falling over again. " Where's...where is he? Did we win?"

" Take it easy Sam! Megatron is gone." said Optimus, catching him with his huge metal hand. Sam looked up at Optimus, trying to make heads or tails of the whole thing.

"Gone? But...but...The Allspark!"

" Is also gone, I fear. But, thanks to you, this world has been saved, and a great threat has been defeated." said Optimus

" B..But...I was...talking to the Allspark." he stammered.

" What?" asked Ironhide " The Allspark spoke to you?"

" The boy is in shock." said Ratchet, doing a quick scan of Sam's body for stress and injury. " Take it easy, and tell us exactly what happened."

" I did...I am! I was talking to the Allspark! It said something about me and having a duty..but..but.."

" But what? Megatron's body disappeared, as you had a moment ago, but it did not come back. Where did it go? Where did the Allspark send him to?" asked Optimus curiously.

Sam rubbed his temples nervously, and was about to come up with a believable answer, when Mikaela shouted.

" Sam! You guys! There's someone in there. I think he's really hurt."

All eyes and optics turned to where Mikaela was. A human victim? Ratchet practically flew to the area. He was already contacting the nearest hospital. Sam stood next to her and looked down, scanning the rubble and debris. There, his brown eyes fell on something lying in the dead center of a crater. Sam gasped. There was no way. It couldn't be...could it? He had to take a closer look, he slid a bit halfway inside the crater.

"Oh my god." Sam breathed, eyes wide in shock. " Its him, it has to be him."

Mikaela called to Sam from above " Who, Sam? Do you know him?"

Oh, he knew him alright. There was no mistaking who he was. He'd been chased by that big, flaming, hulking mass of rage and death half way across the city. Somehow, not knowing exactly how, he knew who it was. It was Megatron...minus the metal.

Sam stood over the figure in horror and awe. Laying in the huge crater that was made by Megatron's former body, was a bruised and cut up figure of a older man, naked, shivering, and curled up. His breathing was very strained, and blood was peeking out of the corner of his mouth. Slightly graying black hair was matted with dirt and something that looked like oil. The next words to come out of Sam's mouth was..

" 'Kayla...could...can you get me a blanket or something? Please?"

Mikaela did just that, and grabbed a southwestern looking blanket out of the tow truck she hot wired. She gave it to Sam, who proceeded to cover the man up. Sam noticed a large burn mark on the man's chest.

" From the Allspark's energy." he thought. The man's shivering stopped a bit. But his breathing was still raspy. Sam didn't know what he could do about that. He was pretty sure something got broken in there. And Sam wondered why the Allspark hadn't healed him before transforming him into a human.

Ratchet spoke up " There are doctors on their way to pick him up for medical attention."

Sam nodded in acknowledgment while trying to wrap his head around what had just happened a few minutes ago. It was the Allspark's work that did this. It freakin done it. It wasn't kidding about giving Megatron a second chance in another form...just..Sam wasn't expecting this form.

'Damn.' He thought, scratching the back of his neck. He was going to have alot of explaining to do.

Captain Lennox arrived in a jeep not too long ago and was talking to the Autobots about something. Mikaela was listening to them and then spoke up. " Hey, it's ok with me. I'm kind of worried about that guy though." She pointed to where Sam was.

Captain Lennox took a glance and then looked back talking again. " Not one of mine."

'Of course not.' Thought Sam. And good thing nobody realized who it really was, except him though. But that didn't matter, he walked away from the figure and towards the hulking red and blue Peterbilt truck. He had to tell Optimus about this. I mean, Megatron was his only sibling. He deserved to know the truth.

" Optimus?"

" Yes Sam?" said Optimus, turning to the young human below him.

" This guy here...You know him, we all know him."

" What do you mean, Sam?"

" Optimus...that's your brother. Megatron."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Author's note: So Megs has become human, big whoop here. There's like four thousand fan fics on this exact subject, no? However, it didn't stop me from attempting to write about it anyways. I also wanted to make sure it was kept realistic somewhat. Because there's no way a million year old robot being would be twenty or something. Megs is an old man here, probley around his early 40s. And he's the oldest brother, so that would make Optimus..eh..late 30s? If he were human, which he isn't in this fic. But there's alot of him.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Blooper: " Human." said a deep, yet very calming voice from a blue glowing ball of light. " Sam Witwicky." it said again.

Sam looked at the ball of light above him, curiously. Somehow, but not knowing exactly how, he knew this voice and light belonged to the Allspark. There was just no denying it. It's presence and energy flooding the entire space that Sam and Megatron occupied just now. Best to not let it wait, Sam cleared his throat...

Sam: " Um..yea?"

Allspark: " ....Wazzzzup!"

Sam- " 0___o;;;"


	2. Human Error

Nutritional facts: Contains trace amounts of brotherhood and severed legs

There was a slight silence that lingered on when Sam had relayed that little bit of information to the Autobot leader. He was scared he might have broken Optimus' CPU or something, because all the huge mech could could do was stare at the wrapped up figure on the ground with large blue optics like a deer in the headlights. After the initial shock, Optimus motioned to Ratchet, spoke a few words of their strange electrical language and looked at the figure again. Ratchet raised a metal eyebrow, looked at Sam and then shook his head.

" It's shock, Optimus. Just shock." said Ratchet and he left to tend to Bumblebee's injuries from the battle.

" What was that all about?" asked Sam, leaning against a metal street light, bent from the battle that had taken place.

" I told him what you told me. He didn't seem to believe it at first, but he's reviewing his scans of the man and will be going indepth at his biologial identity. He believes the man to be just a victim of the battle. Not Megatron."

" Great, he thinks I'm a nut. But what about you? You believe me right?" asked Sam

Optimus let out a sigh, as if remembering a tiring event. " I have seen many impossible things in my life that defy explanation. I don't put it past the Allspark's power to change my brother to this form. So yes, I do believe you, Sam. I couldn't think him to be anyone else but my brother. It explains why I can still sense his spark."

" You guys can sense each other's sparks? Whoa. That's kinda cool." Sam said, leaving the conversation as is.

He looked around and saw the Autobots were ready to leave, Ratchet had finished loading up Bumblebee on the back of Ironhide and the rest of his legs were being carried by the medic. Sam waved to the little yellow mech and he waved back. 'Please be ok, Bee.' he thought.

" Optimus, we're ready to go." said Ironhide " Captain Lennox has said we should leave the area to allow the humans' govenment to clean up the area safely."

" Alright. Sam, I must leave you for now. We'll meet at the lookout near the lake mid-day today. Is that ok with you?"

" Sure, sounds good. Mikaela and I might be a bit late if they question us about Megatron more. I hope that goes ok."

" I hope so as well. I would not want to lose my brother after getting him back from the Allspark." said the large mech.

" You care about him huh?" said Sam, watching Optimus turn around toward him.

Optimus looked at Sam with bright blue optics full of concern." He's the only family I have left, Sam. Even if he had tried to kill me many times. However, if harm had indeed found it's way through him to any living being, I swore, that I would take him down myself."

" Sorry that I..." stuttered Sam

" No, you did a very brave thing, and he's not dead. You did nothing wrong, and I owe you my life on that account. He also, now owes you his life as well. However, even if we are of the same make, we do not share the same code of honor. I doubt he would acknowledge or admit to it. "

" Are you saying you guys are almost like twins then?" Asked Sam, a bit shocked at this bit of personal information.

Optimus smiled tiredly and finally replied." In some ways, yes."

" Optimus?" called Ironhide to his leader. " Are you ready to go?"

Optimus nodded. " Yes, let's leave as requested by Captain Lennox. Autobots, transform and roll out!" And he transformed into his Peterbilt truck form and drove off with his team towards the highway. Sam waved goodbye and sat on the curb, looking toward Mikaela who was talking to Captain Lennox.

" What you going to do with the bodies?" she said, pointing the twisted piles of metal that were once the Decepticons. " I hope Sector Seven doesn't end up with them."

The captain shook his head." God, I hope not. They did a wonderful job last time. I don't know. I just got orders to collect them and deliver them to the nearest base. From there, I'm not sure what they plan to do."

" Yeah that went really smoothly with Megatron." she said, before remembering that Megatron was still among the living, she looked at Sam and the wrapped up man lying next to him. The captain got a message on his radio.

" Sir? Just a second, Mikaela, I gotta get this. Yes sir? No, the NBE-1 has been destroyed. Yes, I will..we are. Alright we'll do that right away..."

Mikaela left the captain to his work and walked over to her boyfriend, Sam. He was sitting on the curb, taking in the damage that had been left to the city. It wasn't even a day before, she had ridden her cycle around this block and it was perfectly fine. Now the familiar stores and shops were half destroyed or completely covered in rubble. Even her boyfriend looked pretty beat up, she knew she looked a mess as well.

" I heard from Optimus that he..he's really...Megatron."

Sam nodded silently, as she sat next to him on the curb, curling her fingers around his. Her eyes traveled to where the now wrapped up Megatron lay. He, this man laying under a red and yellow hand woven blanket, was the megalomaniac robot that nearly killed her boyfriend? That was bent on ruling the entire universe and exterminating the human race? This was Megatron? Well what do you know.

" How incredibly ironic." said Mikaela. Sam let out a little chuckle, it was true, it was ironic. The Allspark must have had one heck of a sense of humor. Either way, it was a fitting form for the situation. The ambulance Ratchet had spoke of was already here for the guy. Sam had to lie to the doctors about the man being related to him. He and Mikaela got up and sat in the regular ambulance right next to Megatron's prone form. Sam wasn't letting this guy out of his sight. After all, the Allspark did tell him to watch him.

" His name?" asked one of the nurses, handing Sam a clipboard with a sheet of paper on it. Sam stared at the paper nervously. Like he'd ever write down 'Megatron' in the name space, or put 'Giant alien robot' in the race/origin space.

' Oh well, I'll come up with something. Let's see...'

Mikaela noticed this and grabbed the paper, quickly writing down some information before he put pen to paper.

" There, that should do for now." she said, handing back the tablet to Sam.

Matthew Banes? What the hell? Age 43? A immigrant from Europe? Served in war? Relatives in country...Mikaela Banes?

" 'Kayla, what is this?" he whispered.

She smiled " It's called helping, Sam. There's no way he's related to you, no offence, but..he's got more 'Banes' features."

Sam looked at the man on the makeshift bed before him. She was oddly right. His features were very pronounced. A long nose, high cheek bones, a strong chin, and fair complexion.

" Man that's creepy. He does. But still! All this...this would make him like...your uncle or something."

She sighed " Better that, then some weird old man we found naked on the street."

Sam nodded nervously, "Yea that's true."

---------------------------------------------------------------------

The ambulance turned a sharp corner and stopped on the steps of the hospital. The kids were escorted to the lobby, while Megatron, or rather, Matthew, was being wheeled into the main building. A honk sounded outside and Sam and Mikaela peeked out of the nearby window. They spotted a familiar silver topkick truck passing by. Ironhide. They both smiled as Mikaela sat down with another clipboard on her lap, busy fabricating more lies and a story for the beat up man.

Meanwhile, Sam was on his cell phone, talking to Ratchet about Bumblebee's condition. Well, more like yelling about it.

" And he's ok? Are you SURE? No, I'm just checking.....Dude! He got his legs SLICED off!! I mean, how is that MINOR?!"

Sam looked around, and noticed some people staring at him. " I'm just...Ok..no..he's still not awake. He's in the recovery something. Yea...yea...tell Optimus that we'll call as soon as he wakes up. Ok...Tell Bee I'm glad he's alright. Just tell him ok? Thanks. Bye."

Mikaela had just finished up the information on the clipboard and set it aside. " Boy, you sound like your mom. All worried."

" Yea well...can you blame me? He saved my life, but at the expense of him getting hurt. I feel like it's all my fault." he said, sitting down next to his girlfriend.

She sighed "That's a part of what war is Sam. He knew the risks, he's a warrior after all. Bee did what he had to do to protect you and me, and not because he was your guardian. He did it because he's our friend. I'd do the same if I was in his shoes, and I think you would have as well." Sam nodded.

" In a heartbeat. But I don't know if I would have made it like he did. I'm just glad Bee is going to live. I also heard..he got his voice back." smiled Sam.

Mikaela cheered " We finally get to hear his voice. I wonder what he sounds like. Maybe like Jazz?"

Oh. Sam and Mikaela cringed at the sound of that name. Jazz. That fun-loving Autobot that loved Earth's music and culture. Optimus' second in command and best friend. The one that didn't make it. The one that risked his life to stop the D leader from chasing after Sam and the Allspark. The one who got ripped in half and thrown like a ragdoll to the streets below. By none other than the one the Allspark saved from death or the pit or whatever Cybertronians called Hell.

Sam was feeling a little halfhearted about watching Megatron now. But if Megatron could come back, why couldn't the Allspark bring back Jazz too? Even if it would have meant he'd be human as well? That was unfair. He never did get to know Jazz as well as he knew the other Autobots. Now he would never get that chance.

" Mikaela Banes?" Said a nurse. Mikaela sat up and anwsered " Yes?"

"Um, your uncle, Matthew Banes. He's resting in a room and if you want to see him, you can follow me." she said.

Sam spoke up. " Can I go too? If it's not too much trouble?" He was secretly crying 'please'.

" What are your relations to him?" she asked, looking over Sam. Mikaela knew where this was going.

" He's my cousin. He's family to him."

The nursed nodded and lead them both down the hallway. Sam kind of shivered a bit, this was his first time he'd been in a hospital, well, not exactly the first time, since he was born in one, but, as a young adult, it was his first time. Already, he hated the smell, and the blank sterile walls of the whole place. He wondered if this was the start of some weird phobia. Mikaela on the other hand, didn't seem to be bothered by it. Maybe she was used to it? And god, why was the place so cold?

Room 219. Read the door. Matthew Banes, written on a little dry-erase board. The nurse opened the door and let the kids go inside.

" If you need anything at all, just press the red button on the side of his bed. I'll be back in ten minutes." she said, and with that she left to do whatever she needed to do.

Sam and Mikaela didn't bother to look for the button, they were more concerned over the one in the bed. The curtain were drawn close, so Mikaela opened them to get a little light into the room.

The sunlight fell on Megatron, making his fair skin seem paler. He looked better though, than before. Mikaela thought it was because of the mud and stuff was washed from him. She noticed a few stitches on the side of his exposed arm. A small IV was connected to his wrist, and his breathing, which was shallow when they first saw him, was now regular and deep.

" I still can't get over the fact that's him, it just...he doesn't look like I would have imagined." said Sam

" You imagined Megatron as a human?" asked Mikaela

" No I mean...he looks alot older than I thought, at least, from his voice."

" I wouldn't know. I didn't hear his voice, it's hard to with everything falling around you." she said

Mikaela curiously bent down to look at the sleeping man, who was Megatron not too long ago. This was getting more and more surreal by the moment. He shivered, and she pulled the blanket closer to his chest and studied his face.

Age marked his angular features, with creases around his mouth and brow, his hair was a salt and pepper grey on the sides, even the faint shadow of stubble on his chin was greyish. He was probley close to being in his late 30s-40s. What was most noticeable however, was a sense of authority about him. Even in his sleep, he looked commanding, strong, and deserved a tone of respect.

" Hmm...I wonder what color his eyes are. I put down that they were brown in the information. But I never got to check personally." she said, accidentally brushing his hand. That little action cause him to groan and shift on his side.

" Opps. Sorry Mega..I mean..Matt." She whispered. Sam smirked a little, that was just so human. He never thought he'd be here to see this. He was pretty sure Optimus would say the same. If he could fit himself into the tiny, white room.

" So, looks like we'll have to wait for a bit. I wonder how he's gonna react to this whole thing. If he's anything like his old psychotic self anyways." said Sam

" Probley something like...' You miserable human, what the hell have you done to me?!' or maybe ' I'm gonna kill you!'" said Mikaela, doing her best Megatron impression. Sam laughed, that did sound like alot like him. As they joked, they failed to notice the fluttering eyelids of the former Decepticon leader. It wasn't until he groaned that they looked his way.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Author's notes: So Mikaela gets to call Megs 'uncle', don't know what my mind was on last night. I just thought it made better sense in some ways. If he became a Witwicky, they'd be calling Sam's parents and all hell will break loose. Better to have someone with little family ties, like Miss Chesty McBoobs here. Plus, I doubt Sam's parents want a former megalomaniac dictator in their household. I sure wouldn't. Of course that leaves the problem of Sam having to keep watch over Megs.

Blooper:

Optimus let out a sigh, as if remembering a tiring event. " I have seen many impossible things in my life that defy explanation....Like the time Ironhide's head got stuck in an air-vent back on Cybertron."

" Prime! You said you'd never bring that up!" roared the weapon specialist. Ratchet snickered.


	3. Darwinian redo

Nutritional facts: Contains nannies!

" He's waking up!"

They both walked toward him, as two rust colored eyes focused and stared up at both of the kids. He groaned, sat up, looked around, blinked and focused his eyes. He tried doing a system check and found it gone. Was he that damaged? Couldn't be, he was moving around without difficulty. Why couldn't he contact the others? Why was everything messed up..why did he feel cut off?

'Ouch.' He winced, feeling a sharp pain on his side. Did something get broken? Where was he? Who were these fleshling children? One of them looked familiar even. No matter, he'd be rid of them soon enough.

Looking at where he was, he noticed some familiar items from his rare studies on humans. A lamp, a window and a door. But what struck it as odd to him was that everything was...bigger. His breathing quickened, and he held a hand to the strange thumping he felt in his chest. It wasn't until he looked down at his now human hands in horrified awe, that he knew something was seriously amiss.

Sam and Mikaela both watched him rip off the thin blankets from himself and stare down at his hospital gown clad body. His fear ever growing, as he overlooked himself, disparate to find something familiar. So far there was nothing he could recognize. He had skin, feeling his arms, bone, feeling his head, hair. His body wasn't big and bulky anymore, it was muscled, but nothing compared to his former body.

No metal, no wiring, no energon, no systems, no processor....Holy Matrix! He was a human! He angerly looked up at the two kids, singled one out, Sam apparently, and proceeded to jump from his bed and strangle the boy.

Sam gulped as Megatron's grip tightened and yelled " You miserable insect!! What the slag have you done to me!?" Well, at least Mikeala was semi accurate, mused Sam, as he twisted himself away easily. Making Megatron stumble back from his loss of balance.

Sam could see that he was having trouble walking, let alone standing up. Megatron balanced himself on the edge of the bed, before he fell to his knees. Confusion and anger clearly marked on his face. He was also strangely out of breath. Breathing being an odd sensation to him in the first place.

" I'll kill you, I swear...I will kill you for what you have done." he mumbled under his breath. He was also taken aback by how different his voice was now. It didn't have that mencing, metallic ring to it. It sounded too weak, too whispery and too human.

" Actually, I don't think you can do much of anything, Megatron. Not now anyways." said Mikaela, helping Sam up.

They both watched as Megatron helplessly tried standing again on two very flimsy legs, only to fall and cry out in frustration. His body wasn't cooperating right, everything seemed to be wrong. And everything seemed to ache.

" This body is defective!" he yelled.

Sam shook his head. " It's not defective, uncoordinated maybe, that's all. Doesn't surprise me really, those muscles are all brand new. It's gonna take awhile to get used to them."

" I don't want to get used to them! Whatever you did, I command you to turn me back to my proper shape! So I shall personally squish you like an ant!" he threatened.

" And how exactly do we do that? It's not like our technology is sooooo advanced, Megapain. " she said.

Megatron growled, eyes glaring at the young female. " How dare you mock me, fleshling! I could.."

Mikaela cut him off. " You couldn't do a thing. And don't look now, but you're a 'fleshling' as well. Now listen. Sam and I just got you away from a warzone. We took you here so you could recover, and hopefully figure out what we can do with you after wards. We could have left you there to rot. So I think a 'thank you' is in order, don't you think?" she said.

Megatron crossed his arms to his chest proudly. " I owe you nothing. It was HIS fault that I got off-lined and reborn as a...an insect."

" Human. You're a human. Just like us now. So better learn the correct terminology." said Sam. " And it wasn't me who turned you human anyways, it was the Allspark." Megatron's eyes lit up.

" The Allspark did this to me? But...Why?! I have done nothing to deserve this!" he roared

Sam laughed " Oh really? Maybe...I don't know...killing off almost all your race, taking over you own home and then coming here to raise some hell and destroy us? Sure, that was small beans, compared to Hitler."

Megatron raised on eyebrow. 'Hitler?'

" Either way. Sam saved you. So be grateful." said Mikaela.

He huffed. How dare these inse..human sparklings, disrespect him. Didn't they know he was the supreme leader of the Decepticons? He was sure Optimus had informed them of that fact. Of course..looking down at his body, he wasn't exactly the prime example of a Decepticon leader at present, but he was one none the less. And the gigglings of these two children were getting on his last wire...nerve..whatever humans had.

" So...now that you have me trapped in this useless shell, what do you plan to do with me?" he asked with a tone of resentment.

Sam cocked his head, " Well...the Allspark wasn't really clear on that. It just said it wanted me to watch over you or something."

" Watch over me?" he growled

" Well, it wanted me to make sure you didn't screw up this new life it gave you so.."

" It gave me this form only to have you be a nanny to me?! Either you're making this up or I'm the butt of some huge cosmic joke!" Megatron shouted, feeling even more insulted.

" Oh believe me, I know that feeling pretty well." said Sam flatly

" I think...the Allspark meant that...It wanted to give you a second chance. You know...a fresh start. To make the right choices and live a more...peaceful life. Not one as some alien robot dictator that's invading every planet he can get his grubby claws on. That and it had a sense of humor." she said

" The path I followed is one I was destined for. If the Allspark was unhappy with this, it could have spoken personally to me. Not pull this kind of...twisted prank. I rather go to the pit then be some disease ridden human!" shouted Megatron.

Mikaela huffed, she had enough of this kind of talk.

" I can call Ironhide and he'll gladly fix that for you!" she threatened, waving the phone. Sam took the phone from her

" Damn it Mikaela! The Allspark said..."

" The Allspark nothing! He's obviously ungrateful that he's alive, and you don't need to put up with this kind of thing Sam. It's unfair that it gave you this duty to watch over this jerk." she shouted.

" It gave it to me anyways. So I just...I need to accept it. Ok? I don't know what I'm going to do with him, or where he's going to stay, but I'll figure something out. Maybe Optimus has some ideas."

" Optimus wouldn't know an idea if rear ended into his aft! And don't you dare think of calling him here!" he yelled

Mikaela's face broke out into a smile, waving her cell smugly. " Too late..he's already coming."

Megatron groaned.

Primus, slag him now.


	4. Takeout: Cybertronian style

Nutritional facts: Contains gibberish

" That's awesome. Great. Thanks! No, we'll bring him. Bye." Said Mikaela, closing her cellphone.

" Looks like everything's been taken care of. The hospital bill was payed by the government. Captain Lennox and the others are just as curious about Megatron's new look. Can't say I blame him really. He's also the talk of the entire Autobot group."

" The government, you mean...they know now?" cried Sam

" It can't be helped. There's no way I could afford the bill, and this is like, pocket change for them. However, in exchange, they want to see him. Luckily, Sector Seven doesn't know about all this. This is strictly between Mr. Keller and his team, and the original men who had Megatron frozen to begin with." Explained Mikaela.

" Did you tell him that the Allspark put me in charge of him? Because, if Optimus finds out his brother is going to a secret facility underground, he's gonna be really pi..."

" You'd have to tell them, since that was between you and the Allspark. Don't know if they'll believe the whole thing. But I'll bet the Secretary of Defense will though, seeing as he...you know..was personally attacked by a Decepticon."

" Well for my sake, I hope so." said Sam

Mikaela looked at Megatron still trying to walk across the room on his own. He had yelled at Sam a while ago when he tried to help. Megatron was so stubborn. Like her father was. He never wanted or asked for help, he had to do everything on his own. He had so much pride. Even til the end, he refused to say who his accomplices were, when he was caught for grand theft auto. He put the entire blame on himself.

Mikaela gasped. Wait. Why was she remembering that now? What a strange parallel. She looked back at the decepticon turned human and mused. Where WAS he going to stay exactly? Like hell he'd be welcomed by the Witwickys, or the Lennox family.

Ironhide would have a field day with him, he'd use him as target practice. She had room though, she could...no..she didn't really trust him. Even in this form he could do something to her. But before she could think about it some more, a nurse walked in.

" Mikaela Banes?" she asked.

" Yeah?"

" The results of your uncle's condition are stable, and the bill has been paid by a third party. He can be released this afternoon if he wishes. I have a release form he can sign, and you can take him home." she said, handing a clipboard with some sheets of paper to sign. Mikaela took them.

" Yea, I think..he's ready. Right?"

" I'll sign it so long as it gets me the slag out of here!" he said. The nurse smiled nervously.

" Ok, sir..well..I'll be back to collect it shortly. Good to see you're feeling well."

" Yes, now go, femme." he growled. Waving away the nurse.

" Geez, you could be a bit nicer." said Mikaela thrusting the clipboard to his chest. He groaned. Ouch. Damn this fragile human body. He looked at the papers, flipped them, turned it upside down and then calmly threw the entire clipboard across the room.

" What did you do that for?!" shouted Mikaela, grabbing it from the corner of the room.

" How I am supposed to read that poor excuse for a writing system?" he shouted

Sam looked shocked. " You can't read English?"

" I don't care what it's called. It's gibberish. It makes no sense and I don't like wasting my time on something like that."

Well, that little outburst just confirmed the Allspark's comment of Megatron's personality. He didn't care nor want to care about understanding another race or civilzation.

Mikaela took the clipboard and read through it, signing here and there, then making a quick look toward the hospital's hallway before signing Megatron's signature at the end.

" There, I hope you're happy. I just got you out of here."

" Well, at least you can make yourself useful." he commented. Which was odd to Mikaela, because he was half smiling at her. Did he just...compliment her? Either way, that was very unexpected. She looked up at the door and saw the nurse walking back towards the room. Mikaela gave Megatron the clipboard.

" Give it to her." she whispered. He did and the nurse took it, read it over and smiled.

" Alright Mr. Banes, everything is in order. You're free to go." She turned to Mikaela. " I trust, he's not the designated driver right?"

Sam Spoke." No...No. I am. I'll be taking him home." The nurse nodded.

" We'll need your gown, Mr. Banes. Please leave it on the bed and the staff will pick it up." And with that, she happily left the room down the hall.

Megatron looked down at himself. Gown? Oh..this flimsy piece of fabric. He began to untie the cords, when Mikaela yelled.

" What are you doing?!" He was practically stripping in front of them. "You can't just... Don't just..Ugg..Sam..we need to get him some clothes. It's not like he came with any in the first place."

" Where exactly? We don't even know his size?" he asked, before eyeing a small measuring tape on a shelf in the room.

" Oh wait...here." he stretched it across Megatron's waist causing him to yelp.

" What are you doing to me now?!" he growled

Mikaela huffed " He's measuring you, we have to get you the right size of clothes."

" And this is important because?" he asked.

" Well...you can't just walk out naked! You have to wear SOMETHING, even just pants are fine for now. Anything." Sam stopped measuring.

" Got em. He's like..a size smaller than my dad's old college clothes. But I think my mom might have sold them last week."

Mikaela waved her hands " I have a better idea. He can use some of my Dad's old clothes. I'll have Ironhide take me to my house, I might have something that will fit him better." Sam nodded and she walked out, and closed the door behind her.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Author's notes: Short chapter! Sorry, but I want to get Megs out of the hospital. I personally hate those places myself. Anyways...Nothing more needs to be said here. I mean..Optimus meets the now human Megatron in this next chapter. Talk about bad karma for our former Decepticon leader. But pure bliss for the rest of us, eh?


	5. Insert witty title here

Nutritional facts: Contains a TLU reference

Sam had been left with Megatron. In the same room. He kind of shivered. Not that he was actually scared of him..ok, maybe he was..since Sam did have a hand at turning him human and all. He was more afraid of what Megatron could do to him in such a small space as a human. He may not have been a kill-death giant robot anymore, but he was still physically stronger.

" Where did the female go?" asked Megatron, looking out the window and at the rest of the world below him. This was the view he had of Earth when he first arrived. Turning back to Sam, he was faced with a completely different point view. It felt really odd.

" She's at her house getting stuff for you. She'll be back. Then we can get this over and done with. And her name is Mikaela, not 'female' sheesh." Said Sam.

Megatron huffed and turned back to the window. He shivered a bit as the cold air hit him, looking down in disgust, his arms were covered with goosebumps. Sam could see him practically rubbing his arms raw to get them to go away. He closed the window and walked to the bed.

Sam looked at Megatron slowly lowering himself down on the bed, facing the window. The way he did it, seemed like it hurt him somewhat. Maybe it was his muscles still trying to get used to their use or he may be still healing.

" You ok?" asked Sam.

Megatron didn't reply for a short while. This boy, who's name he couldn't be bothered to remember right now, was the cause of all his stress and anger. And yet, he still made it a duty to bother him. Hadn't he done enough? Wasn't being brought back by the Allspark as a human, enough already? Just let a mech wallow in peace for Primus sake! Still, it was better than being dead, like his fellow Decepticons. No doubt they were being melted for scrap somewhere on this backwater planet.

Still, he had questions about this new body. He wanted to make sure that this shell he was inhabiting, was functioning correctly. No point in suffering in an already miserable form.

" Is everything supposed to be so...dulled..muffled?" he said to Sam, breaking the silence.

" Huh? Oh..You mean like...well you Cybertronians might have better senses than we do so..." stammered Sam

" We do. I feel like..everything has been cut off. My hearing, my sight..I can't connect to the internet nor any kind of system except my own. It feels like I'm half dead." he said, anger and worry coating his words.

" It's not so bad. I mean, you'll get used to it."

" I don't want to get used to it." he growled " There has to be a way back. I refuse to stay in this form any longer. I feel this body dying around me. Cells breaking down, skin flaking, hair falling...it's like a ugly, molding shell of meat. I hate it!"

Sam kinda of understood what he meant by that. Kind of. Megatron had gone through a huge change in a single day. From monster to...well..he was still a bit of a monster underneath it all. Just with a different look. But, he had been turned into something totally alien to him. He probably could help but feel anger and confusion.

" Well, that's your opinion. I think you look ok, for someone who came back from the dead." Said a voice from the hallway. It was Mikaela.

That was a quick trip, thought Sam.

" But a hospital gown doesn't do you justice. Here, found these in my garage from my Dad. You can wear them for now, til we get something more your style. Oh and you're gonna want to close the back of your gown by the way." She said.

Sam snickered. Megatron looked confused. She handed him a pile of clothes and motioned to the bathroom door.

" What am I supposed to do with these?" asked Megatron. Sam led him to the bathroom " Come on, let's drive you through the second course of 'Human 101'." Mikaela held back a sigh, this was just..so strange. Her amusement was suddenly interrupted by a sharp tap on the window of the room. She noticed a giant hand waving in front of it. She made her way to the window and saw a familiar red and blue Autobot.

" Optimus!" she happily said. " You finally came. But...someone might see you." She saw it was an empty alleyway, but wasn't sure how empty it would stay.

" I know, I must make this quick. I just came to see my brother, now that he has awakened. Where is he now?"

" He's in the bathroom with Sam." she said. Optimus raised a metal eyebrow. " Er...well Sam is helping him with putting on some clothes, since..you know."

Optimus nodded. " Which I am sure is quite a new experience for him. Has he been a trouble to you two at all? He hasn't tried anything dangerous has he?"

" Oh no, I mean..we had some disagreements, but..he's being cooperative right now. Kinda. There's some things he's being a baby with, but I think it's due to waking up as a human." she said. " He won't admit it but...he's scared. I can see it. This is really new for him."

" I understand. I too would have felt that way, if I had been in his situation."

Mikaela smiled " I wonder what you would have looked like in human form. You'd been a whole heck of a lot easier to deal with though. That's for sure."

" I wouldn't know unless given that opportunity. I'm sure it would have been an interesting experience. If he gives you any serious trouble, please contact me or one of the others. I must go now, Mikaela. I might be sighted."

" I understand, thanks for coming though. Sorry you couldn't get to see..." she heard the bathroom door open, and there Megatron was, dressed in jeans and a plain white shirt. Wow, he didn't look half bad. But before she could say anything more, two eyes and two optics stared straight at each other. Blinking in disbelief as two voices replied...

" Brother? Is that..you?"

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Blooper:

" Well, that's your opinion. I think you look ok, for someone who came back from the dead." Said a voice from the hallway. It was Mikaela.

That was a quick trip, thought Sam.

" But a hospital gown doesn't do you justice. Oh and you're gonna want to close the back of your gown by the way." She said. " Although you got a cute butt for someone your age."

" Dude..did she just check out my aft?" asked Megatron

" I believe she did, brotha...I believe she did." Said Sam.

" Daaaamn!" cried Megatron


	6. Oh brother

Nutritional facts: Contains trace amounts of leaking, buffoons and angst

Sam and Mikaela hung back as the two brothers eyed each other. Sam could feel the tension in the air, this wasn't going to end well at all. These two already had a history and there's no telling what Megatron could do, even as a human.

Megatron turned his back to Optimus, slightly angry, and slightly embarrassed. Here they were, both in the same place, and he, Megatron, could not attempt to kill his brother like he meant to. More likely, Optimus could very well crush him right now, no problem. How incredibly unfair this was. Megatron glanced from the corner of his eye at his brother by the window.

Optimus was the first to speak, and surprisingly, he used his native tongue. Cybertronian.

" Brother, it's good to see you're no worse for the wear. Even though you've returned like this...you are alive in someway. Not all was lost when the Allspark vanished."

"The Allspark is gone because of this impudent insect! The one you saved, destroyed our only chance to continue to survive!" he shouted " And now, now I am like this because of him!" said Megatron, also speaking his native language.

Mikaela nudged Sam. " I think we should go, not far, just..give these two some time alone." Sam looked at her like she was crazy.

" Sam...I don't think Megatron could do anything to Optimus. And no...before you say it, Optimus won't do anything to him." He nodded and they both went out the door and down the hallway. Leaving Megatron and Optimus to sort out things.

" The Allspark gave you another chance. And some part of it was because of Sam being there. You owe him a great deal of gratitude and respect." said Optimus " You know where you would have gone instead. This manner of existence is nothing compared to what you may have faced."

" And what of our home, Optimus? What of our race? Without a source of life, without a willing Femme? We'll be extinct by the next ten million Cybertronian cycles. We are without hope now, neither the Decepticons nor the Autobots can keep their line going. We have been doomed by that insect you call a friend! You know it and I know it!"

Optimus did know, but in the end, if he had chosen to unite his spark and Allspark to his chest. They would have been doomed anyways. It didn't matter who did it or under what circumstances, the Cybertronian race, faced a very grim reality. In a way, Megatron was the luckiest out of all of them. Being human meant, he could go on living, not long, but not in a hide and seek way like the Autobots. He'd be able to live a somewhat normal life and have no fear of interacting with Earth's species.

" My men, what has become of them?" asked Megatron coldly.

" They have been buried and crushed under the pressure of Earth's seas. Their CPUs were non-operational, they were dead before they were buried."

" I care not if they were alive or dead. What of Starscream? If I know that slagger like I think I know him, he probably flew off like a coward back into space. Primus be damned, it's a wonder I didn't just rip out his spark the first time he failed me."

" I don't know of his location, but you are right. He was not amoung the body count of the other decepticons. Nor was Frenzy or Barricade. More than likely, he is on his way back to gather more of your murdering army."

" And took my place as supreme leader. Like he always wanted...I hope he dies in some miserable and ironic way."

" Like you did?"

" Don't toy with me brother. I maybe be human, but I can still do some damage to you! We have...had..similar programing, I know where your weak spots are."

" You've changed in body, but in attitude you still are as stubborn and arrogant as ever. Prehaps this experience will humble you in some way."

" I change for no one. Not you, and not the damn Allspark!"

" Then I pity you. For you will be miserable for the rest of your human life." replied Optimus. Megatron stayed surprisingly silent. Optimus' ear piece flashed blue for a second, as his head nodded." I must depart. Sam. Mikaela?" he called to them, and they walked in from behind the door.

" Optimus?" asked Sam.

" Ah, there you are. Ratchet has informed me that the others will be at the lookout. We will be waiting. And Megatron...you WILL be there as well."

Megatron lowered his head down in anger, only his eyes following Optimus as his form left the window's view. A familar sound of transformation was heard, and a semi truck sped away from the hospital's alleyway, fading from view.

He felt a very strong and uncomfortable feeling in his chest. ' I pity you.' Those words were starting to affect him in a way he hadn't known before. ' ..for the rest of your human life.'

It felt like he had just been dealt a blow. Suddenly the thought of being on that outlook, as they called it...being surrounded by Autobots now ten times his size...being stared at, being ridiculed and laughed at. All while he could not do a single thing about it. It finally hit him, And it hurt. It hurt so much.

The pain in his chest stung from the realization that this form was now his own, that there was no way to get back to being who and what he was, and that this will be permanent. Forever.

Why had the Allspark revived him? Was it out of humorous spite? A last laugh on it's behalf? His eyes shut closed as something wet slide down his cheek. He opened his eyes in shock and saw the world had gone blurry. He wiped his face, feeling more of the wetness from his eyes.

Did he spring a leak? Was he broken? Then he remembered. They were tears. They were produced when a human was emotional upset or angry. Showing this kind of outward emotion, unable to control it, was a sign of weakness to him. He scowled. He would not not show weakness in front of these children.

'Disgusting. These human bodies are so disgusting.' he thought, as quickly wiped them away before the humans noticed.

Mikaela however, noticed this, she opened her mouth to say something, but closed it. She knew he was 'proud', and it was best not to point out anything. Her thoughts were soon interrupted by the sound of a honk just outside the window. Mikaela looked at Sam questioningly.

" It's Hide. I left him waiting outside. Megs...ready to get out of here?" asked Sam

" Megs?" asked Megatron, wiping a few more tears out of his eyes and trying to regain his composure.

" Oh..sorry..um..it's...I like to shorten names, it's a bad habit I have. Sorry." said Sam

He shook his head " I don't care. As far as I'm concerned, I'm no longer who I was and I never will be." he said, his voice still quivering with sadness.

" Then, I guess I'll have to call you Matt, since that's what the hospital records say now. Although personally, we can still call you Megs." said Mikaela.

" I've been meaning to ask about that. Why did you name me as 'Mr. Banes'? If I'm not mistaken, the name is also yours..suggesting I'm related to you?"

Mikaela smiled nervously. " Yeah...well..I had to tell them something. Since they don't let strangers keep watch over strangers. According to the records now, you're my uncle. That's why they released you to me."

' Uncle? Why would she...' he thought, before he jumped at the sound of a truck outside.

Honk honk!

" Eh, better get going. Ironhide is not one to be kept waiting for long. And he's been dying to see Megs...er..Matt..in his new look." said Sam.

Megatron cringed abit. 'I can take any other mech, except that trigger-happy buffoon.'


	7. I get it, now where's the punchline?

Nutritional facts: Contains England and can openers

A bright silver Topkick truck was waiting dutifully outside in the public parking lot of the hospital. It was Ironhide. If he had been in mech form, he'd be grinning ear to ear. He's was one the first Autobots that was going to been given the opportunity of looking at Megatron as a tiny human, and to drive him to the lookout for the amusement of the others. Oh, sweet victory and revenge. Optimus however, had warned him not to say anything harsh to him. Saying it wasn't really his fault after all, something to do with his CPU and inner programming.

Hide never believed in that kind of Electro-psychological mumbo jumbo. If a mech went bad, you either beat them down or off-line them. And Megatron was in sore need of a good aft whipping after all the trouble he caused. He figured the Allspark had revived him for the sake of this.

"Good old Allspark, you're on our side after all." he said to himself.

His thoughts were suddenly distracted by two familiar teens walking toward him with an older man in tow, squinting from the light he was unaccustomed to. He seemed to go slower than the other two, and as he got closer to the shade, he faced Ironhide directly. The truck let out a honk of pure amusement, startling the two teens.

" Megatron?!" said a gruff voice. " Tell me that isn't you. Oh the fates really love you. Hahaha!"

The older man growled. " Oh shut up!"

" Ironhide...could you do this later? When we get to the outlook, you can say whatever is on your mind. Right now...people are staring." said Sam, looking over his shoulders at some doctors and nurses looking their way.

Ah, he was right. People were staring and that was never good. Ironhide opened his doors to allow the humans to get in. Megatron stayed outside. Mikaela motioned to him " Come on."

" I've never been inside another Cybertronian before. I am not going to ride in him." he said dryly.

" He's not going to bite, just get in. He's probley more willing to get you to the others than to injure you." she said

" Sure am!" chimed Ironhide, trying his best not to laugh at the situation. This was just too rich. Megatron finally gave in and climbed in the back, as Ironhide pulled out of the parking lot and onto the main road.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Heading out towards the city limits, they traveled up a dirt road where several vehicles were parked. Sam and Mikaela got down and headed for a familiar Yellow Camero, which upon sight of them, transformed into his mech mode, embracing the two humans as best he could.

" Bumblebee!" they both said hugging him." We missed you, are you ok? How are your legs?"

" I've been better, I still need recovery time, although I can still drive. Ratchet is quite the miracle worker when it comes to fixing these things. I'm just glad you two are alright." he said, for the first time without the clips and musical cues of the radio.

Sam couldn't help but notice Bumblebee's accent. Like he was from England or something. It was odd, but, it fit him so well.

" It's good to hear your real voice, Bee. You do know you have an accent though. Which I love by the way, it suits you very well." said Mikaela.

" Oh..I hadn't noticed that. I suppose from my studies on your culture...I had gained it upon accident."

" What studies were those?"

" Musical history. I'm quite fond of The Hermits and The Beatles. Giving thanks to Jazz for that bit of a nudge." a tinge of sadness appeared in his voice when he mention Jazz. " And...Megatron? Is he here?"

Ironhide shook his body and Megatron fell out on the ground unceremoniously. " There's the slagger." chuckled Ironhide, as transformed into his mech mode. Bee's optics fell on the fallen man, who sat up with a anger scowl.

" You inferior oaf!! If I had been in my true form I would have..." roared Megatron

" You're Megatron?" asked Bee curiously, crouching down toward him. Causing Megatron to lean back, away from Bumblebee in surprise. He scowled and replied " Who else would I be?", brushing himself off from the dirt. He soon came face to optics with Bee, who was studying him intently.

" You look exactly like a human, down to every detail. Amazing. I never would have known who you were if you hadn't said anything."

This yellow mech, did he know him? Megatron thought. Oh yes, the yellow spy that had prevented him from getting the Allspark. Now he remembered. If it wasn't for him, he'd be half-way through his ultimate plan. So much for that though.

" I remember you. You're that little yellow mech who protected the Allspark..and also couldn't keep his vocal processors shut. I see they've been repaired."

Bumblebee touched his throat and gulped. He remembered that day. Megatron had crushed his voice capacitor and rendered him mute. He shuddered at the memories that came. But he felt that justice had been served to Megatron now.

" No thanks to you." replied Bumblebee

Megatron huffed. " So where's my no-good brother then?" As if upon cue, there was a slight rumbling behind him. Megatron turned and looked up at the hulking mass of metal his brother was.

'This is quite a different view. At least I was eye level at the hospital. I never knew we Cybertronians were so damn large and intimidating.' thought Megatron. ' Too bad I'm the one who's being intimated right now.' His shoulders stiffened as a large, but gentle voice spoke.

" Megatron."

" Prime."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Blooper:

Ironhide opened his doors to allow the humans to get in. Megatron stayed outside. Mikaela motioned to him " Come on."

" I've never been inside another Cybertronian before. I am not going to ride in him." he said dryly. Sam keeled over, gripping his head in pain.

" Uggg! God! BAD mental images!"

" That's what you get for opening all those links to SheezyArt that Miles emailed you."

" That kid is seriously a perv." growled Ironhide.


	8. 3140 Memory LN

Author's notes: Early note here. This chapter has Optimus and Megatron skipping down memory lane, amid not so wonderful memories. I had fun writing their supposed past. I think it explains so much. Enjoy!

Nutritional facts: Large quantities of sibling rivalry, frozen energon and an anime reference!

Sam and Mikaela had left the two brothers to talk about whatever they were going to talk about. Alone. In private. Much to the dismay of Ironhide and Bumblebee. They had wanted to give Megatron a few choice words, since...he was powerless and all. Ratchet merely shook his head at the two sulking mechs.

" Such sparklings. Honestly! If anyone should be giving Megatron a good aft-kicking, it should be Sam. He was nearly killed by that maniac. And yet despite that, he's more of a mech than you two."

" Aw shut up, Wenchhead. You know you wanted to give Megatron a piece of your CPU." shouted Ironhide.

The medic merely walked away, scanning Bumblebee's injuries for the hundredth time. Bee was getting very impatient and assured Ratchet he was completely A-ok. " Ratchet, I'm fine. My voice is back, my legs are repaired..everything is in top order."

" It's your voice I'm worried about. The fact you can use it at all, still surprises me. I recommend taking it easy, and don't use your vocal processors unless needed. I saw the damage Megatron had done to you, it was beyond repair. You should be completely mute."

" The Allspark. The one stop cure-all."

" I bet Megatron wishes he could say the same." chuckled Ironhide.

" I wonder what they're talking about down there." wondered Mikaela.

Sam shurgged " Well, they have centuries to catch up on. I'm pretty sure it's a lot of important things."

--------------------------------------------------------

" And then you stole my tin sip!" shouted the now human Decepticon leader. Well Ex-Decepticon leader. A large red and blue mech was seated in front of him, also a bit cross.

" I did no such thing. You had left it out on the console unattended." said Optimus, countering his brother's accusations.

How their conversation went from the Allspark to their past as sparklings was beyond them. But it was a battle of words that Optimus wasn't going to lose. His now human brother, was just as stubborn.

" You stole it and don't dare deny it! You always wanted what was mine! Just because you were the youngest, you got away with everything! You were our parental units' favorite!"

" That's not true. You got to go on The Galaxy Express 999 while I couldn't. You knew they had frozen energon at that entertainment complex, and you got to consume it to your spark's content."

" And it was pretty damn good too!" smirked Megatron.

" I hope you remember it well, because that was the last time you will ever have it!"

------------------------------------------------------------

" Well, it's got to be important, with the way Megatron is flailing around and all, Optimus is probably hitting a couple of nerves." said Ratchet.

" Hehe, let him have it, Optimus! Give him a couple for me!" cheered Ironhide.

Meanwhile, Sam and Mikaela were busy finding a spot to sit, alone, if Bee hadn't been badgering them about it.

" If you want to do anything in private, I can be the means of hiding you. What is it that you're going to do anyways?"

" Seriously, Bee. I do not want to use you for...what we want to do. And it's best you don't know. Kayla and I just want to be alone and...do..human stuff. Ok?"

If a robot could make a clear expression of pouting, Bumblebee would have won a prize. He had told Sam that he wanted to stay with him and protect them both. He wanted to be a part of their lives. But his humans were not allowing him to do so, at least, not in this situtation. And Sam wasn't about to make he and Mikaela's private alone time, into a threesome. He liked exploring new experiences, but that was way beyond kinky for him.

" I assure you Sam, I won't be offended for whatever purpose you want to use me. Unless it kills me in some way, but otherwise, I don't mind at all." spoke Bumblebee

Mikaela spoke up and gave the little yellow mech a reassuring smile " Bee, you may not understand this but, Sam and I want to 'make love' to each other ok? Hugging and kissing. That sort of thing. But we have to be alone, just me and Sam only."

Sam shook his head and groaned. Like a giant alien robot would know about the sexual activities of humans. He feared Mikaela had just made things worse than they were now. Seeing Bumblebee's expression now, told Sam that he was even more curious.

Bumblebee however, was busy looking up Mikaela's phrases and words on the internet. The he looked at the two humans with fluttering bright blue optics. " oh I see!" he shouted happily. " You and Mikaela want to mate!"

Sam and Mikaela cringed, because two other sets of blue optics swerved their direction, equally as curious.

" What did they say? Mate? Now?" said Ironhide gruffly " What the slag for!?"

" Must be their season. I've seen documentaries on this sort of thing. But I've never seen it in real time though. I think it would be educational." said Ratchet, lumbering toward the two teens.

" W..we weren't even gonna have sex...aw geez, talk about ruining a mood!" groaned Sam. Mikaela only sighed and sat down on the hill overlooking the sunset. What a day this has been.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

" We still have not discussed where I'm going to spend my time as a human. I need a place to stay, and basics to survive."

" I have thought this over as well. I'm afraid Sam's parents will not welcome you into their home, at least, not without telling them about us, the Allspark and Cybertron. As well as Sam and Mikaela's heroics in Mission City." said optimus

" Why not? His parental units should know their son was the bringer of extinction to our race. The very least, Earth's government should step in to help. You and your Autobots helped save them from being turned into smears on the pavement."

" Don't start that again. Look, I don't know where you can stay. And calling the help of the government, even if they do owe us, is out of the question. Mr. Keller warned us not to reveal ourselves to just anyone. If Sector Seven were to find out you're Megatron, or rather the former NBE-1, they'll lock you up, study you and possibly even kill you. In the name of science."

" I knew you wouldn't have an ideas in that CPU of yours. I'm homeless! I have no where to go to, and it's all you and that insect's fault. I was better off going to the pit."

" So that's like...saying 'hell' for you guys right?" asked a voice behind them. It was Sam, along with Mikaela coming down the hill towards them. Optimus thought over Sam's question and replied.

" In a way it is, Sam. A place of untold and unyielding torture. The lowest point a being can travel to in the afterlife."

" I beg to differ." mumbled Megatron.

" Well you know, you could...stay with me. If you want." said Mikaela. " You just got to promise me you'll behave or I'll kick you out and make you sleep in the doghouse."

" If you don't want to do that. You can stay with my men and I. It's in an abandoned warehouse in the industrial district of the city. However, I can't guarantee you'll find all the basic essentials."

Megatron huffed. That was even worse.

" I prefer the femme's offer. Alright, I'll stay with you, but only until I can get the means to live on my own. Then I don't ever want to see you or that insect's faces again."

" Sounds like a deal to me. Sure." smiled Mikaela. Sam cringed. He hoped she was up to the challenge, because he still needed to watch over him even after this was over. "Darn that Allspark. I bet you're laughing your ass off, where ever you are." he thought before climbing into Bee and heading to his house before his curfew.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bloopers:

Mikaela gave the little yellow mech a reassuring smile " Bee, you may not understand this but, Sam and I want to 'make love' to each other ok? Hugging and kissing. That sort of thing. But we have to be alone, just me and Sam only."

Sam shook his head and groaned. He feared Mikaela had just made things worse than they were now.

Bumblebee however, was busy looking up Mikaela's phrases and words on the internet. The he looked at the two humans with fluttering bright blue optics. " Ugggg! You mean you two are going to DO IT like the pigeons?! Grooooosss!"

And with that he ran away crying to Ironhide about Sam doing nasty things to Mikaela.

" What? You mean they're gonna get it on...now?" said Ironhide gruffly " Hey Ratchet! Wanna see some human porn!"

" Sure, I'll get some energon snacks." said Ratchet " Human porn is quite a hilarious thing to watch, especially live."

" Geez, thanks alot guys." groaned Sam.


	9. For the love of pizza

Nutritional facts: Contains stripping and strange sounds

" Well, this is home. Not much, but...its a place to crash and eat." she said, putting her jacket on the chair, revealing a small tank top underneath, and showing alot of skin. Megatron snorted.

" And you want ME to wear more clothes? You should talk." he said, poking the couch suspiciously and finally sitting on it.

Mikaela turned practically 360 degrees from her position. " WHAT..did you say to me?"

" I said, you make a fuss about me not wearing enough clothes and you show a lot more of yourself then I did in the medical facility."

" That was different. You were completely naked, I'm not!" she explained

"And you even go about in public like that." he added, pointing at her accusingly " No shame, no shame whatsoever."

" Wha...Well it's different with girls ok? If you don't like it, don't look!"

He huffed. What did it matter what gender could do or couldn't do? If she could get away with wearing next to nothing, he could too, right? Besides, these pieces of fabric were cumbersome and he didn't like how scratchy the top layer was. It irritated his skin.

" Alright...I get it." he said, taking off his shirt and throwing it on the floor uncaringly. He admitted it did feel cooler now without that piece of cloth covering his chest. It felt nice. Next he undid the button to his jeans, but left the zipper untouched. He figured he didn't want to freeze.

" Don't you DARE! Are you insane?! You can't just...DO that in front of me!"

" If you don't like it....don't look." smugly echoing her words, and laying back on the couch, arms hanging down the other side.

Again, she was reminded of her Dad, he used to lay back like that after a long day, then he'd ask her to go get him a cold beer or rub his shoulders. Of course, she wasn't about to let Megs drink one of those, he was already a walking lunatic without it. She wasn't going to rub his shoulders either. She did however, notice a large burn mark on his toned chest, the one Sam had spoken to her about back in the hospital. It still looked raw.

" I don't see why I have to follow your rules, and yet you can break them?" and again he was fiddling around with the zipper.

Mikaela's eyes widened. " Fine! Fine...I'll put something less revealing on. Just don't..do that. Being shirtless is ok, just leave the pants on!"

" Glad you see things my way." he said with a smart alec grin. She glared at him before she went to her room to go change. He chuckled, loving her reaction to what he did. Humans wer such fun creatures to torment. They were so apprehensive to their own naked bodies, that it bordered on hilarious.

And oh how she hated him so much already. And why did she ever agree to this? Wasn't looking after Megatron Sam's duty?

She sighed " Because I'm just sooo darn nice. I sware if he tries that again, I'll gonna kick his sorry butt out of here."

She closed the door to her room and fished out a less revealing shirt from her closet. Just before she slipped it on, she heard a shout from beyond her bedroom door.

" Mikaela! My lower body is making strange sounds! Where are you, female?!"

She groaned. Oh this was getting ridiculous. She slipped on her shirt and opened the door to see him right in front of her door. He looked kind of scared and held a hand to his bare stomach.

" I think something is broken. Can you fix it?" he said as a matter of factly. The way he said it, and his confused expression was just too much. She forgot her frustration and couldn't help but let out a giggle.

" Why are you laughing? There is nothing funny about my body being broken! Do you have something to fix this or will I have to return to that pit-forsaken place again?" His stomach growled even louder.

" What the slag is wrong with me?! It's getting worse and you're just standing there laughing! Do something! You're worse than Starscream!" he roared

" Nothing is broken. That sound means you need food, energy." she said, remembering the term' Energon', Bee used for what Cybertronians called 'food'.

" Energy? Any human sized energon cubes around here?" he said rubbing his stomach.

" Nope, just regular human food. And since I'm too tired to cook, we're going to order out, and you get the honor of trying pizza for the first time." she smiled, dialing the pizza place on her phone.

" Pizza?"

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

He'd been hesitant to try it at first. How did humans eat again...food to mouth, chew, swallow? Was that all there was to it? It seemed deceptively too easy. How was he supposed to convert it to energy, when it was a mash of fluids and solid pieces? But he figured if this process got rid of the ache in his stomach, he'd be willing to risk it. " Well, here I go."

He eyed the triangle shaped food suspiciously. It wasn't until he took a bite, was when he realized just what he'd been missing. That taste. The sensation of taste in general. He was momentarily too surprised to chew.

" Megs? Are you alright? Do you need wat...."

" Mmmm..thish ish real gooo!" he said, talking while chowing down on the pizza. Then swallowing. " The..tomato sauce, the hot little slices of meat...and this melty stuff..." he looked at it, then at Mikaeala " What was it again?"

" Cheese?" she smiled. Watching it dribble down his chin, she handed him a napkin.

" Amazing. If I had known humans ate this, I would have asked to be..." he decided not to finish that thought, and took another bite. Afterwards he wiped his mouth on his arm.

" Use the napkin, Megs. You're getting all dirty." she said, he replied with an 'oh' and did so.

Mikaela sat back in her chair " Oh boy, I'm stuffed! You know, you should watch how many slices you're eating. You could get sick on that stuff."

" Nonsense. My will power is very strong. I can say no at anytime." he said smugly.

Mikaela shook her head. " Whatever. Just don't say I didn't warn you."

He continued to inhale practically half the box, as she turned on the TV to the news. He sat on the floor, both entranced by the TV and the slice he was eating. She put the volume up. The news was reporting the incident that Sam and her had just gotten away from. It was like seeing a movie, since it felt so long ago. Her memories of the whole thing told her it was definitely real.

On screen, someone had caught Ironhide and some of the other Autobots fighting in the streets, a Mountain Dew vending machine coming to life and the building Sam was on just before Megatron blew it up. At first it looked like Sam was killed, but she knew better. Suddenly, a large shot of Megatron appeared, bashing Optimus into a building.

" That's me!" exclaimed Megatron, scrambling to touching the TV as if trying to touch the image itself.

" Megs, I can't see the screen!" said Mikaela. He sat back, watching himself blow up a building on screen.

" Wow...from this angle, I didn't know I was so big....and is that a banner hanging off my aft? When did that happen?!"

Aft? Did he mean his...Mikaela let out a laugh. It was true, a banner to a burger joint had stuck itself to Megatron's rear end on screen, while he was fighting Optimus. It came off after awhile, but it was apparent it had gotten lodged in some place. The Megatron in front of her was just entranced by the whole news report . She watched him go through a series of expressions, from awe to anger, to a scowl and then excitement. He was really enjoying this.

" There's that slagger, Starscream! You coward! If I ever see you again it will be too soon!" he shouted at the jet that appeared on the TV screen. She cocked her head " Starscream?" she asked.

" My air commander. The biggest traitor to ever grace our ranks. Always wanting to take my place as the leader of the Decepticons. It's a wonder I never off-lined him after all the times he proved his disloyalty to me."

" Off-lined...that means...to kill doesn't it?" she asked. "Why didn't you? If he was that untrustworthy."

He nodded " Offlined...kill..It's a little different, but basically the same, hard to explain. And as much of a traitor as he was, if I had finally given him everything he deserved, which was quite alot, it would have put a strain among the other mechs and I. They were not fond of him, but they do look after their own." he said, taking a bite of a slice of pizza and swallowing.

"I needed their loyalty and having them turn against me, would have been been the downfall of everything I had planned. Not that it matters now. I couldn't lead even a single Decepticon in this form."

" But the others died, even if he were to become leader, who would be left to follow him?" she said.

He chuckled " Do you honestly think that the Decepticons you saw were the only ones? There are more, many more out there. No doubt Starscream will tell them of my pathetic death and take over as leader. And unfortunately, most will follow him. Excluding a few still loyal to me, such as Soundwave."

" Are they coming back here?" asked Mikaela, being careful to how she said it. While this was valuable information, if she seemed too overeager to hear it, he might not give it to her. She didn't entirely trust him, he was Megatron after all, human form or not.

" Possibly. Although I fail to see the point. There is no Allspark anymore and this planet lacks the sufficient means to harbor our kind properly. It may have fossil fuels, but it's crude and unrefined. It will cause problems later on to our internal systems, if used too much." he said

" If they wanted to dominate a planet, they should head past this galaxy and toward Gie-Tsch, it has plants that can be concentrated into energon. All that needs to be done is to kill the Gieians with nitrogen, and we'd have a new home." he continued

" That's awful." she said.

" Why? At least it's not on your planet." he said, taking a bite of a pizza slice.

" But it's still wrong. To dominate a place for only it's resources and kill it's people."

" Isn't that what you humans do to each other in other countries? What was it? For oil, I presume?" he said dryly. She cringed, he was right. Humans do things similar to each other. Maybe not kill the whole population, but still kill. For resources.

" All living things rely on the deaths of others. A snake eats a mouse, a mouse eats a worm, a worm eats the insides of both in the end. No matter how smart the species, it will kill to live and live to kill. Cybertronians and humans are no exception to this."

Wow, since when was he ever philosophical? Wait, how would she know if he was ever like that, anyways? She realized just how little she knew about him, other than he was once a huge tyrant of a leader who went around and murdered other lifeforms for energy and almost did the same to Earth not too long ago.

Now he was a (semi) normal human man, looking around 40, eating pizza from a box and watching his old self on TV. Man...things can change in a blink of an eye. Another thing she noticed was that while his change from metal to man was quite traumatic at first, he seemed to be taking it quite well now. Maybe he was getting used to it or just accepted the fact he was stuck as a human?

" Mikaela." he said in a serious tone. She braced herself for another set of philosophical musings. He pointed to the pizza box,

" Do you have anymore of this stuff?"

She smiled tiredly. Maybe the fact he hadn't been so angry about his new humanity was...because of the food. It distracted him. For such an older man, he sure acted like a kid sometimes. She wondered if he was like this when he was a Cybertronian. And if he did, she shuddered to think how his army put up with it. No wonder Starscream wanted to take over.

'Well at least I know what to do to shut him up." she thought. " Wave a box of pizza in front of his face, and you got him in the palm of your hand.'

" Yea, but I don't think you should eat anymore." she said, taking the now empty box with her to the kitchen. He glared at her.

" I demand pizza, femme!" he said in a threatening tone. As if he was going to chuck a blast of energy from a cannon at her.

Mikaela shook her head, hands on her hips.

" You won't get a thing, if you want to 'demand' anything from me, buddy." she said, just as fiercely as he did. He looked taken aback by her reaction. She was alot more strong willed than he thought. She wasn't afraid of him, and she showed it.

" Fine. Can I, please...have more pizza?" he grumbled

" I don't recommend it, but...ok..fine, two more slices."

He cheered silently over this small victory, and sat back down in front of the TV again, watching the exciting battle he had just been apart of. It seemed so long ago, like a distant memory. The girl brought him some newly heated up slices of pizza and she drink another can of soda.

" What time is it?" asked Mikaela

" Time?"

" Uh, the little do-hicky on the table next to you. The clock." she pointed out

" 11:34." he said flatly. 'Do-hicky? Humans have very odd names for things.'

" That late?! Wow, I'm not going to get up tomorrow, that's for sure." she said, yawning, causing Megatron to yawn too.

" What's that?" asked Megatron grabbing his mouth.

" What was what?"

" That action. My mouth opened wide for a bit, inhaled air, and made a sound." he said, kind of surprised.

" Oh! Yawning? It just means you're tired. It's late and we have to get to sleep soon." she smiled

" Sleep?"

" Uh...recharge?"

" Oh. Why did I yawn?" he asked

" Oh, that always happens, You see, someone will yawn and automatically, you yawn. It's something that you tend to be unaware of. Honestly, you have no knowledge about human habits at all, huh?"

" I never bothered to study about them. I regret not doing that now, but I had no idea this would happen to me."

" Well, that's what we're here for, me and Sam. We can teach you everything about humans, and what we do and why."

" You're a useful femme." he smirked

" Uh...thank you? Anyways, we better get to bed. I'll get some blankets and you can sleep in the spare room." she said, standing up and walking to a closet down the hall. She grabbed a few blankets, and a small pillow. She motioned to him, and pointed a room down the hall. " There you go."

" I want to stay here. In this room." he said

" Oh...ok, that's fine. But if you're uncomfortable, you can go into this room to sleep. But don't go into the room with the red banner."

" Why?"

" That's my Dad's room, and no one is allowed in there. Ok?" she said solemnly, sitting down and sipping her soda across the room.

Megatron nodded, wondering about the room that was off-limits. And her father. What happened to him? Why was he not here with his family? It stuck him as odd that a mech would not be with his family during times of peace, unless there was a war somewhere else far away, or he was no longer alive. He didn't give it too much thought after awhile, and let his attention fall to the TV.

They watched the end of the report, then some news of some place called Qatar, then laughed at some stupid sitcom. Mikaela fought her sleepiness and noticed Megatron was already dozed off on the recliner in the corner. His snoring was about the last thing she noted before finally falling asleep herself.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Author's notes: Ok, it was a filler chapter, but it did establish some of the characters' traits. Such as Megatron, because he wasn't given a smidge of personality in the movie. Those who didn't know the character, kind of thought " ok, he's a bad guy, but...what made him a bad guy?". The movie was made more for the fans of the series, who knew who was who already. I hope they give us more character depth in the next movie.

Anyways, in this story, I based the Megatron in this fanfic, off of the Transformers cartoon series and a tiny bit from the comics. So it's a combination of movieverse and retroverse. A little good from each one. Hope you enjoyed the story so far, I'm enjoying the reviews!^^

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Blooper:

" There's that slagger, Starscream! You coward! If I ever see you again it will be too soon!"

She cocked her head " Starscream?" she asked.

" My air commander. The biggest traitor to ever grace our ranks. He was also the biggest machoist I ever saw. Always doing something stupid so I could hit him or blast him with my cannon. I got to the point of doing nothing to him, and letting him beg to be kicked. The sicko!"

" You Decepticons have some major issues." she mumbled


	10. Good Morning starshine

Mikaela wasn't sure where she was when she woke up that morning. She wasn't in her room, since her posters of Aerosmith were not hanging on the wall. She sat up, and realized she was sleeping on the couch.

" I must have really been tired." she said, rubbing her eyes, until she noticed a blanket covering her. It wasn't there last night so...

"...Who..?"

" Megs?" she called. Where did he go? She looked in the kitchen, nope. The bathroom, empty. The bedrooms, nothing, She began to panic.

' Don't tell me he took off somewhere?!' she grabbed her cell and was going to dial Sam, when she heard a loud sound outside, followed by a foreign, curse sounding word outside. She opened the door and ran out to the front. No one was here. The back! She heard the sound of water. She turned a corner and saw the top of Megatron's head, which was wet. As well as his clothes.

"What the heck are you doing?" she asked.

" Washing myself."

" In my birdbath?!"

"I was dirty from last night, therefore I needed to clean up. I couldn't find any water inside, except the toilet, but I know that's not used for that. So I saw this large bowl of water. I have a towel. Now I need soap."

" I also think you need mental help." she said, shaking her head " Come on, you're going to catch a cold like that. There's a room specially made for this." she explained, and they both went back inside.

" Uh...Mikaela?"

" What now, Megs?"

" I think..this body needs to expel liquid waste."

" You mean, you have to go to the bathroom?"

" I suppose. I wouldn't know, you're the human."

" Ok, well. The bathroom is down here and..."

" Well, about that..."

" Don't tell me...Oh shit."

She face palmed and looked at the clock, was Sam up at this hour? 8:46. No way in hell he'd be up before 10 on a weekend. But he was about to. She led Megatron inside, grabbed her cell, dialed Sam's number and prayed he'd answer it. She heard a button tone then a groggy voice anwser.

" Hello?"

" Hello? Sam?"

" Kayla?...Do you know what time it is?" he yawned

" I need you to get down here ASAP! Megatron needs to go to the bathroom!"

" Well let him, I wanna sleep."

" He doesn't know how! Just get down here before he has an acc....." she turned around and heard a curse, followed by Megatron roaring.

" Disgusting!" in the living room.

" Nevermind...just go back to sleep then." she grumbled

" Mmm yea.."

"You are sooooo helpful, Mr. Witwicky." she huffed, and trudged into the kitchen to get soap and things to clean up the mess. When lunch comes around she was going to make sure Sam was here to teach Megatron the finer basics of humanity.

-------------------------------------------

In the shower....

After his little 'accident', Megatron was ushered into the bathroom, as they called it, then into a tiny little stall with a drain on the floor and a metal thing sticking out of the top wall. He eyed the controls, as far he could figure out, and saw this tiny room was a kind of washing station, like back on Cybertron.

'I explored this whole house while she slept...how could have I missed this?' he thought

" See these?" Mikaela motioned, pointing to the controls " This is hot water, and this is cold." she turned it on, and stream of water came out of the metal thing on top. She fiddled around with it, til she found a good warm temperature. " There's shampoo, conditioner and bar soap on the rack. Now you can wash yourself."

He nodded and stepped inside the stall.

" Oi, not with your clothes! Take them off!"

No...wait...

" When I'm out of the room. Leave them on the floor and I'll get them afterwards." she explained carefully to him.

'Ugg, what a way to start a morning. I hope he doesn't make this a habit, or I'll go insane.' And with that, she closed the bathroom door, and prepared the washing machine. She figured, she had to think about something else besides her bad luck. Once she heard the shower door close, she fished around her father's room again, and found something clean.

Closing her eyes, she walked into the bathroom, deposited the new clothes. " Here, change into these. I'll be in the garage."

" This feels nice! Better than the washing stations on Cybertron!"

" I'm sure it is." she replied

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was lunch time, and Sam drove over with Bumblebee to her house to see how things went. He saw Mikeala watering the plants outside. She saw him and Bee driving up and gave her a friendly honk. She turned the hose off, got her cold can of soda and sat on the doorstep. He stood in front of her and she offered him a soda.

" Sit." she said to him with a sour look on her face.

" So how did your day go?" asked Sam, taking a drink from the can. Mikaela huffed. Sam knew that look.

" Ok, what happened?"

" Three words...Megatron. Bathroom. Accident."

" The hell?!"

" He was trying to wash himself with the water in my birdbath , since he didn't know about the shower. So I had to help him with bathing. Then, he had to go to the bathroom, and because I'm not about to become a pervert, I called you, and by then he had an accident in the living room." she sighed

Sam paled and cringed " Oh geez, I'm sorry Mikaela."

" I had to do everything! It was so embarrassing." she said with her hands on face. " I want you to teach him 'man stuff', ok? I can't be doing this, and you're suppost to be watching him, not me."

" I know, I know, I'm sorry. I'll get to that then." he apologized " You're the one who offered to watch him though."

" Yeah, I know...don't get me wrong. Behavior-wise, he's been just peachy. So long as you have pizza and TV in front of him."

" No, attitude or lip, from him?"

" Once or twice. He'll go into a small tangent, and then stop, eat, laugh at the TV and then talk a little about how much he hates humans. Then he'll talk about how much he loves having a sense of taste...it's all so contradictory."

" Heh, sounds like he likes being human, but he's too proud to admit it."

" I know." she giggled " Like, once...he said 'Humans have such a primitive way of getting information.' and then someone got hit on the head on this sitcom...and he was laughing at it. Said it reminded him of old days."

" Heh, just proves that humor is universal. I wonder what they watched back on their home planet." he asked

" Maybe something like TV? Only without the reality shows?"

" I hope so. Can you imagine a Survivor: Mars edition?" he smirked

They both laughed at that thought. Before falling silent. Sam broke the lapse after abit.

" We gotta find a place for him, Kayla. Somewhere that's far enough away from us, but close enough to watch him."

" That doesn't make any sense, Sam." she replied

" It does, you see..as I see it...he can live in an apartment two blocks away from your house. It's far away enough, but close enough. So he doesn't get himself into trouble or something." he explained

" Ok, that works, but...where's the money gonna come from? He needs a job. And a social security, and a Visa...since he's supposedly, out of the country, and..." she stopped

" Ok ok...I get it. This is..ugg...this is getting harder than I thought." he said scratching the back of his neck.

" Well, we better figure something out, because taking care of a former robotic maniac, and teaching him how to function as a human...it's getting way over our heads here. Maybe...we should call someone? Maybe Captain Lennox or someone to help us out here." she said

" I would, but last I heard, he went back home and is spending some much deserved time with his family. I'd call Maggie, but heck if I knew her number or even if she's still in America."

" And as much as the Autobots want to help, they won't be able to help with the things we need help with. We're pretty much on our own here."

" And the Allspark said 'little interaction is necessary.' Ha! That cube sure screwed us over." he said

" Cheers to that." she mumbled and clanked her soda can with Sam's.

" So where is he now?" he asked

" In the shower. I told him to make sure he puts on all the clothes I left him on the sink before leaving the bathroom. Knowing him, he'd leave a few out, over not being able to put things on."

" I can help him, but he doesn't like me." he grumbled

" Well at least I hope he puts on some underw...Speak of the devil." she said, looking to the hallway.

" I'm able to dress myself now, it's not impossible."

Sam looked up to where the voice came from and saw Megatron dressed in blue jeans and a black t-shirt, he was toweling his hair off still.

" Hey Megs." Waved Sam

" Witwicky." said Megatron with a tone of silent resentment.

Sam caught that inflection pretty fast. O..K, so he was still bitter about the whole 'Turning human' bit from yesterday. That was understandable. But there was little that could be done about it. Least he got his last name right. Not many people do.

" So uh...how did your first day go?" he asked the former tin can.

" Human bodies are completely vile." growled Megs.

" Oh the whole bathroom incident? Hey, you know, I can help you with that, sinc..." offered Sam

" I don't need anything from you, you have done enough damage as is." he growled

" Megs, at least let Sam help you with the basics of human hygiene. He knows more about being a man than I do." pleaded Mikeala. She didn't want to go through that whole episode again.

"......Very well. If it'll prevent future accidents from happening. I will tolerate his...presence." glared Megatron at Sam. The last word spilling out like acid on his tongue

Sam gulped. Ok, he was scared. Even if Megatron was a human now, he still was a bit intimidating. That whole powerful aura he had as a huge robot had been condensed down and radiated a sinister, dominating strength. Mikaela didn't seem to be affected by it though.

" Oh speaking of human hygiene. I wanted to give your hair a trim, it's a bit long." she replied.

He shrugged " Sure, ok."

Mikeala smiled and got the scissors from the house while Megatron went back to toweling his hair. And Sam was in awe. Just what kind of power did she have over him? How on Earth did she train him in such little time? If he had been in his normal form, he would have stepped on her without a second thought. The world had indeed gone topsy turvy.

" Hey sam could you get me a chair from the kitchen. Gotta play barber to Megs here."

Sam went to get a chair and watched as Mikaela went to work with her nimble fingers and the snips of the shears. When she was done, Megs looked a hundred times better.

" Whoa, Kayla...gotta let you do my hair some time. You did a good job."

" Thanks and sure. I'll give you a military special." she grinned.

Sam touched his hair defensibly " No way, I don't want to look like G.I Joe ok? I like it as is."

Mikeala chuckled " Speaking of styles...I wanted to go to the mall today. To pick out some clothes for Megs here. Dingy jeans and shirts don't really do much for him. I see him in something more...professional I guess. Since he is the leader of the Decepticons."

" Was." corrected Megatron

" Still is, in some aspects." said Sam " The whole 'I-am-more-superior-than-thou' attitude is still there."

Megatron growled " What was that, insect?!"

" You guys! Stop it. Sam, stop provoking, and Megs, watch your temper. There's no need to start something now, over something so stupid."

" Just pointing out a fact." sniffed Sam

" As was I." mumbled Megatron

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bloopers:

" Thanks and sure. I'll give you a military special." she grinned.

Sam touched his hair defensibly " No way, I don't want to look like G.I Joe."

" Hey, that's also a Hasbro series." said Megatron

" Let's just hope Michael Bay doesn't get his grubby claws on the license." groaned Sam

" Or Transformers: Pretenders...good god that was painful watch." groaned Mikaela


	11. Maul' shopping

The mall had been fairly empty that day, since it was the middle of the week and all. Everyone else was at work, and that was the perfect time to go shopping with a former giant robot. Bumblebee was glad to help the two teens do some shopping. Although wasn't too happy with Megatron riding inside him. That was too close for comfort to the little yellow mech.

But going to the mall did give him an opportunity to check out the newest models of his car mode from the near-by auto dealer. He was always making sure he was a top of the line model. It also didn't help that he was still slightly miffed by Mikaela's remark when he was 'a piece of crap' Camero not too long ago.

'Well, I'll make her eat her words.' He thought, as he pulled close to the mall entrance, allowing his passengers to get out.

" We'll be back in an hour." said Sam, then looking at Mikaela grab her wallet. He gulped. " Make that two hours. Don't know how long we'll be there."

" Sure Sam. See you guys later." said Bee, as he happily drove next door. Mikaela was already walking to the main two doors of the mall with Megs in tow. Sam shook his head, Megs had no idea what was in store for him. They walked past the electronics department, the garden department and much to the dismay of the two men, the cosmetic department.

" What kind of place is this?" asked Megatron being pulled, like Sam, by a very determined, and shopping minded Mikaela.

" It's called a mall." groaned Sam

" A maul? An actual maul? You still have them in this day and age?" said Megatron

" Unfortunately so. It's suppost to be fun....depends on your definition of fun though. Personally, I rather be ripped in two and feed to a lion."

" Isn't that what a maul is?"

" Dude, I have to agree with you, it will certainly feel like that soon enough." said Sam tiredly.

Megatron gulped. That did not sound good. Not at all.

Apparently, Sam and Megatron were thinking two different things, but it didn't matter. Be it a mall or maul, being tugged by a girl with shopping fever was torture in itself. Sam was ready to choke on the deadly smell of cheap perfume, but soon they made it to the clothing department. Mikaela grinned, there was a sale today on all casual styles.

" Ok, let's hit the Big and Tall men's department and then chose some belts and stuff. I think he looks good in dark colors, right Sam?"

" Eh?...Um sure." he said, not really paying attention. He was too busy remembering the torture he had to go through with his mom whenever she got her paycheck. *shiver* Never again, he told himself. Too bad his girlfriend was making all those memories resurface. Megatron however, was mentally preparing himself to fend off a hungry lion or a blood starved warrior. Nothing along those lines seemed to surface however, but he saw Sam was definitely not enjoying himself.

Mikaela motioned Megatron to the clothing on sale. " Pick something you like, then go into those little stalls over there and you change into the clothes in there."

" Change into them? You mean...I can wear them?" he said, grabbing a few shirts that caught his eye.

" Well you sure don't eat them, silly! Sam will help you if you need it, ok?"

" Awww, why me?" complained Sam.

" Because you're a guy! I can't go into the same stall as him. It would look really weird."

" It looks even weirder if two men are in the same stall!"

" No it....well maybe a little." she shrugged

" I said before, I can dress myself now. I don't need his help!" growled Megatron, and pushed his way past to the two teens to do just that.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A few minutes later, he walked out in a black dress pants and grey shirt which had a black stripe down one side. Mikaela cocked her head and rubbed her chin.

" Grey and black? Kinda drab, don't you think?" she asked " Why not a red shirt? Brings out your dark hair more."

" Red reminds me of Starscream." he huffed " But I'll try it anyways." and he went back into the stall to try on the red shirt that Mikaela threw at him.

" Who's Starscream?" whispered Sam

" His former air commander and now the current leader of the Decepticons." she said

" And you know this how?" asked Sam curiously.

" He told me last night when he watched the news report of the whole Mission city incident. Starscream was the one who attacked the troops first, on his orders, but then fled to space to avoid getting offlined."

" Off-lin...nevermind..Um..how is it you're finding all this stuff out?" he asked

" I just...asked him questions and he answered me." she shrugged " He talks alot about stuff if you ask."

The striped curtain opened to reveal Megatron in the same dress pants, but now with a red shirt.

" Is this suitable?" he asked.

" Ummmm.....You know, you're right, it does remind me of the screamer. Grey and black with a touch of darker red, looks good on you." she smiled " Dark blue might look good too. Just take your time and find something you're comfortable with."

" Screamer." Megatron chuckled " Well, I prefer colors that remind me of my old self, Kayla."

" Yea I understand. I'll pick some more stuff out with those colors in mind." she said, and with that she browsed the surrounding racks for some more potential fits.

'Kayla? Since when did she become 'Kayla' to him?' thought Sam, a bit hurt. Only he and Bumblebee called her Kayla. He gave Megatron a glare, which he didn't notice. The dude better not be trying to get buddy-buddy with his girlfriend. He'd put a stop to that quickly.

" How's this?" he asked, wearing dark grey pants and a black shirt with a collar, inside it was lined in a rich red. It looked like the kind of clothes an important business man would own, just not as stuffy.

" That's great! You're wearing that one out for sure!" smiled Mikaela

He smiled, looked at himself in the mirror, fixed the cuffs, and puffed out his chest with pride. She was right, it did look great on him. Like it was made for him.

" Here, change into the clothes you came in for a bit til I pay for those. Then you can change back."

" Alright." he nodded in agreement and went into the booth yet again to do just that. He tossed over the shirt and pants to Mikaela and she went to ring them up in the front.

" Be right back guys." she said, happily walking to the front.

She sure was enjoying herself with this whole thing. But Sam still felt uneasy about their interaction with each other. He found it odd that Megatron was so compliant with just about everything Mikalea asked of him or did. They even had injokes together for crying out loud! Sam and Mikaela, as much of a couple as they were, rarely joked like that in public. Yea, something definitly was going on, and he didn't like it. This afternoon he was going to get Megatron his own place. Even it was a motel room.

He watched as Mikaela headed back to them, called to Megs, tossed the newly bought clothes over the stall, and saw the old clothes being tossed back. Megatron walked out, looking spiffy, with Mikaela all smiles and compliments as they walked out of the store. Sam huffed, trailing in the back of them. He didn't know what he was feeling about all this, but he'd pay money to get rid of that feeling. He watched in mild jealously over the two.

" I thought we were going to a maul, where humans are sacrificed and torn apart for the entertainment of the public."

" What?! Did Sam tell you that?" she smiled " Noo, maybe it's like that for him, but malls are meant to be fun. It's a place to buy things, and hang out with friends.....*giggle* A maul!" she cracked up laughing, and patted him on the shoulder. " Poor Megs."

" I do not want to be pitied."

" You are hilarious, you know that?"

Sam frowned, oh this is was getting way out of line here. He was about to tell Megatron to back off, but was distracted by a shiny tan car, pulling up into the parking lot. Much to his surprise, out popped a familiar looking blond woman. She looked his way, squinted and then smiled.

" Sam Witwicky!"

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Author's notes: Uh oh, looks like the green-eyed monster is rearing it's ugly head. Sam is getting jealous over Megatron and Mikaela's relationship. Wonder where that's gonna lead? And no, I'm not shipping Mikaela and Megatron. As I said before, this fic has all the canon couples in place here. So whatever relationship these two will have, will not be romantic. You'll see what it'll become later on , I did mention there's one crackship, and this is subtly hinted at (As subtle as a nail being driven into a wall), in the next chapter.

Blooper:

" Awww, why me?" complained Sam.

" Because you're a guy! I can't go into the same stall as him. It would look really weird."

" It looks even weirder if two men are in the same stall!"

" Even weirder...two men and a girl in the same stall." said Megatron

" Nah, even weirder still...two men, a girl and an elephant in the same stall." chimed Bumblebee, driving through the mall without a care to the impossible physics behind it.

" Now that's just silly." said Sam

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


	12. Robot meets girl

Nutritional facts: Contains trace amounts of Maggie/Megatron aka the M&M-ship, melts in your mouth, not in your brain!

The two teens had not seen this coming. The watched the blond woman park a sporty little tan car in the lot, smiling at them and waving as she got her belongings.

" You guys!" she said, her native Australian accent clearly heard. " Haven't seen you two since Hoover Dam. I saw the news the next day and I thought....I'm so glad you're alright."

She eyed the smartly dressed, dark haired man next to them. She wanted to say something about the Autobots, but wasn't sure if he was meant to hear it. She had to be sure.

" I'm sorry if this is rude but...who are you?" she asked, looking at the man behind Mikaela.

Mikaela caught this, she had to make sure Maggie didn't find out the truth about him. She put her hand on his shoulder and said " He's my uncle, Matt. Don't worry, he knows about the bots."

Maggie nodded, but that still didn't answer her question. " How, exactly? Was he there?" Being the ever analytical woman she was.

" He..He was..." Sam stuttered

" I was one of the men on the battle front." Megatron explained. " I was fighting against the enemy there."

Sam and Mikaela smiled. He sure had an interesting way of telling the truth, without giving everything away.

"Oh! You were a solider! Ok, then it's safe. Sorry, had to be sure, since the whole thing is confidential. And I'm sorry for not introducing myself. I'm Maggie Madson."

" A pleasure to meet you, Ms. Madson." he greeted.

Maggie blushed slightly. 'Oh that smile is kinda...handsome.' she thought.

Infact, most of him was, dare she say...handsome. The Banes family sure are an attractive bunch. Although she couldn't help but feel a slight aura of something dangerous about him, despite his professonal look. Her gut instinct always told her not to be tempted by these kind of men. Time to change the topic.

" So Sam, how did your parents take the news of having a car that's actually an alien in disguise?" she asked " I'm sure it was quite a bit to take in."

" I haven't gotten around to tell them about it exactly. I'm still working on that." said Sam

She looked around and saw there was a lack of a yellow Camero in their midst. Where did that little sunny car get to anyways?

" Where is Bumblebee?" she asked

" He's probably in the car lot next door. He had some damage awhile back, his legs got severed off, but Ratchet did a great job and Bee's out and about now. Also, he got his voice back." said Sam

" He sounds like someone from England." Added Mikaela.

" I've got to heard it then, I love accents." said Maggie, despite having one herself.

Mikaela caught the familiar golden yellow flashing in the sun, looking like he just rolled out of the factory, sparkling new and shiny.

" Oh, there he is! " said Mikaela " Looks like he got himself some detailing."

Bumblebee honked happily, and pulled into the front of the mall for the awaiting teens and man.

" Lookin good, Bee!" chimed Sam, patting the front hood.

" Ah, Sam...they just did a wax on me...don't smudge it." groaned Bumblebee.

" You sound like the bot that Ratchet talks about, which was it?" asked Mikaela

" Sunstreaker." smiled Sam

" I'm not anything like him...but I do like to keep a nice appearance." he replied " And...hey! I remember you! You're Maggie!" he happily, toward the blonde woman.

" Indeed I am. It's nice to finally meet you properly, Bumblebee." she said

" Same here. Have you met the others?" he asked. He knew she hadn't met them yet.

" No, I haven't, but...if it's alright, could you introduce them to me? It's not everyday you get to meet giant alien robots. I wasn't going to do anything important in the mall anyways, except some shopping. That can always be done later."

" That's what we were just doing." said Mikaela, waving some bags with clothes. " For my uncle anyways."

" Well, he's not really her uncle, that's Megatron." laughed Bumblebee.

Sam cringed and Mikeala did a face palm. " Bumblebee..why?"

Maggie's eyes shot straight at the dark haired man in shock." M....Megatron?"

" Yes." said Megatron flatly

" Oh my dear god..." she said under her breath.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Maggie didn't know what to make of her attraction, if you could call it that...to this man who was the former Decepticon leader. She couldn't be infatuated with him, she just couldn't, she thought, sipping ice tea and hearing all the details about Megatron's sudden change to humanity from the two teens. And boy did he make one good looking human in her eyes.

' It's just not right!' she thought ' The most evil thing in the universe and he has looks to put most men to shame.'

And yet here he was, eating a chicken sandwich in front of her at a Denny's. This dark stranger with his rusty red eyes, medium muscled body, an air of mystery and dangerousness around him, even older in age....everything she liked in a man appearence-wise. And yet fate dealt her the blow of finding out, he was Megatron!

' I've got to get my brain checked this weekend.' she thought. ' If Bumblebee hadn't said anything, I'm sure I would have asked him out.'

She looked up, only to have her eyes meet with those same rusty eyes she had been fantasizing about.

" Want the last of my drink?" he said, with that deep, yet commanding voice " I'm not really fond of the flavor."

'That's not all I want from you, stud.' whispered her overactive hormones. She mentally kicked herself. She found her voice finally and replied " Uh...yea sure." Taking the glass from him and sipping the strawberry flavored drink of ice and milk.

" Is that all you're going to eat?" she asked Megatron, who was already done with his meal. " You can order something else, maybe some breakfast? Please don't feel guilty about asking for more food."

" Um, it's better if he sticks with finger food for now, Maggie. We're still kind of, working on using a fork and spoon." explained Sam

" Oh! I'm sorry. I didn't know." she said " How about french toast? You can eat that without those things."

" No, that's alright. This is enough." he replied

" Are you sure?"

" Well...do they have pizza here?" he asked hopefully

" Pizza?" she questioned

" Oh, that's like his number one favorite food. It was the first thing I ever gave to him to eat, it was love at first bite." smiled Mikaela

" I like pizza myself. My favorite is pineapple, what's your favorite?" smiled Maggie, not realizing how close she was leaning to him. Sam could see that something was up, but he wasn't sure. He just watched the two interact.

" Just...pizza. Doesn't matter, as long as it has meat on it." replied Megatron

" Ham or pepperoni?" she said, leaning in even closer. By now, her hands were inches away from his, her bright hazel eyes staring right at him. Megatron kind of leaned back, not really understanding why she was invading his personal space.

"..uh...it's a red meat. I'm not sure what you mean by..." he said flustered. Her eyes were watching him intently now. Like a cat eying a mouse. It made him uncomfortable.

" Megs, the red meat is pepperoni and the lighter one is ham. Actually I just give him the regular order, he hasn't tried all the different kinds of pizza yet."

" There are other kinds?" he asked, hoping to find an edge and change the topic. At least to get this human woman, Maggie, some space between them. Luckily, Sam spoke up and began to ask what had become of Captain Lennox, as well as filling in what went down in Mission City. Megatron had never been so relived to hear that annoying boy's voice. 'Thank you .' Soon the conversation veered toward the events of today, Mikaela skipped the 'bathroom' parts, and went straight to their day at the mall.

" So after getting new clothes for him, we called Optimus about making an ID for Megatron, so he can hopefully move out of my house." said Mikaela

" He's staying with you?" asked Maggie.

Mikaela sipped her soda " Yea, for the time being."

" And your parents are ok with this?" she asked in slight shock.

Sam and Mikaela went silent and Mikaela turned her head down. " I...I don't live with my parents anymore."

" What? But then you're alone with him? And you can't be over 18 already, you're still in school right?"

" I am. But, I've been living that way since..." she stopped, she felt like she said too much already. Maggie, while being a friend and all, still worked for the government. And she could report her and Megatron to her superiors in a heartbeat. There was nothing stopping her except her own will power.

" I'm sorry...but...I won't accept it. You're underage, you have no legal guardian, and you're harboring a man who's much older than you, and has a history of mass murder and genocide. No. I won't stand for that at all." said Maggie, raising her voice.

" But Maggie...you have to understand..." explained Sam

" If he has no where to go. He can stay with me." she said as a matter of factly.

" Huh?" said both teens.

Maggie smiled to herself. She had more than enough room. Infact, she had bought a double because she and her sister were suppost to have moved in. But her sister had other plans, and went to Germany instead.

" It's no trouble at all. I have alot of room, food...internet if he likes. I don't mind at all."

" Well Maggie...it's not about minding, it's about..." said Mikaela

" I think it's a great idea." spoke Sam " I think we should take up her offer."

Megatron cringed slightly. Maybe he thanked the boy too soon. He wasn't sure if he could trust this human woman, but she seemed to be intelligent, at least when it came to computers and machines.

'Computers, eh? Too bad I'm not my old self anymore. But then again....they wouldn't even be alive right now.' he thought, smirking slightly. Crushed human pancakes. Oh, if only he hadn't gotten ahold of the boy and the Allspark, if only it was Starscream instead...Then he'd be the one turned human. Too bad that's no longer an option.

" Megs? Are you considering it too?" asked Mikaela " What are you thinking about?"

" Pancakes." he smiled

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Much later on, and on the road, the trio were heading back to Mikaela's. Megatron had fallen asleep in the back from the whole excursion and his meal. This left Sam and Mikaela to talk about what had happened a while back. Meanwhile, Bumblebee had been playing whatever he found interesting on the radio.

" Are you sure it wasn't nervousness? I mean..finding out about Megatron can be a bit intimating." asked Mikaela " She did him before his change to humanity."

" Nah, I was getting this vibe. She kept eyeballing him, blushing, and making small talk. I've seen it all before." said Sam " She thinks he's hot."

" Get outta here! She's the last person I know who'd even think of finding him at all handsome. She doesn't seem like the type to fall for someone like him anyways." said Mikaela " Plus, he's like..much older than her."

" Hey, well, I read someplace that some girls find bad boys attractive. It's the whole...big bad evil thing they got going on." he smirked " Like some secret dark temptation. Even more since he's got age and experience."

" Oh god...I don't think Maggie...would..well maybe? I don't know too much about her really. But I still think..Oh man, you really think so? Poor Megs." she said

" Poor Megs? What? I think it's pretty cool. If she falls for him, then that solves our problem right there. He can stay with her, she can watch him..maybe..teach him some stuff. It's perfect!"

" Um yeeeeaa. But what about him? He might not want to go through with it." she huffed

" Oh come on, Maggie is like the perfect choice for him. She's fasinated by Cybertronians, and he's like, the freakin Decepticon leader..er..former. She can get a lot of info that the Autobots wouldn't be able to give her."

" Sam. What if he doesn't like her? They'll end up getting on each other's nerves and then..boom! He winds back at my house due to problems. This needs to be a mutual thing."

" Ok, I'll run it by him this afternoon, maybe there's some hidden chemistry I can uncover."

Bumblebee smiled inwardly, hearing the two teens talk about an organic trying to get Megatron interested in her. That was a new one for him. He caught a clip of Aerosmith and thought it would be perfect for the situation at hand.

'_ Shaggin in the elevator,_

_loungeirie second floor,_

_she said can I see ya later?_

_And love you just a little more?'_

Sam laughed " Bee, perfect timing as usual."

" It's just one of the many free services I provide." said Bumblebee.

Sam sat back and smiled inwardly. If Maggie was willing to take Megatron off their hands, he was more than willing to let her do so. He didn't like that former tyrant being so close to Mikaela, even if it was 'innocent', he didn't like that feeling of her being alone with him. Almost all day, and most of the night. He was human, but it didn't take away how dangerous he still was. Inside, he was still the Decepticon leader, capable of anything.

'I'm protecting her, right?' he thought ' Or is it something more than that?'

This troubled him. Was it merely jealousy then? Was it fair to hand him over to a stranger, in some aspects, just over jealousy? And the Allspark. It had given him a duty to watch Megatron. But for how long and to what extent? So long as he knew where Megatron was, was that enough? Or would a separation like that actually tempt the wrath of the Allspark? After all, Optimus had said the Allspark cannot necessarily be destroyed. It was an entity, a being, and the cube was only a temporary shell.

That damn thing was still alive then. He didn't know what was worse, Megatron or the Allspark. Both equally seemed to have royally screwed him over. Making his life a living nightmare. 'They were probably in on it together in the first place.' he thought. And all that struggle to keep the Allspark safe, and this was it's repayment?

' I could visit Megs often, maybe that would work? I mean, nothing's happened to me yet by letting him stay with Mikaela. Maybe being a little further away won't get it mad. Or maybe it would. Uggg...that would seriously suck.' he thought

Sam looked at his right side, and saw Mikaela had already dozed off. His hands moved toward hers, and grasped them firmly. Lovingly. He had won her over by his heroics, and she had impressed him with her's. They were meant to be, no doubt about it. And no force inside or outside Earth would separate them. Ever.

" I love you, Mikaela." he whispered,

Little did he know, two deep rusty eyes were watching him. He had also heard Sam's words, and pondered them a bit. Megatron's then smiled, changed positions and went back to sleep. ' Humans are such odd creatures.'

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Author's Notes: Yes, I'm shipping Maggie and Megatron. Why? Because I can, and because they make such an odd couple. A former robotic tyrant and an analyst. You can't get anymore stranger than that. Well...I guess you can. I could have shipped Megatron with Judy Witwicky, but that would tempt Sam to kill Megatron...**again**. Which would tempt the Allspark to do something horrible to Sam, like turn him into a newt.

So no, I think the M&M ship would work well for the story. I'm rambling. I'm a sucker for these kind of relationships.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Blooper:

This dark stranger with his rusty red eyes, medium muscled body and air of mystery and dangerousness around him....everything she liked in a man appearence-wise. And yet fate dealt her the blow of finding out he was Megatron!

" Oh, who cares. He's human now and I just want to corner him and DO him allllll niiight lonnnng!" said Maggie

" Um Maggie...you do realize you were talking out loud, right?" said Mikaela. Maggie blushed red and looked at the object of her fantasies across the table....shivering with horror.

" Holy Primus, she's gonna RAPE me!!!!" cried Megatron

" Can't rape the willing, Megs. You know you want some of that!" Said Sam

Bumblebee happily played "Bad Touch"

~ Personally, I'm betting money there's a fan fic of Maggie raping Megatron somewhere on the net. And if any of you guys want to write that yourselves, be my guest. Just send me a link to it, I'm sure it'll be We need more Transformers crackfics. That or I'll write it myself!


	13. Chemistry lesson

Chapter 14- Chemistry lesson

It was the next day....

Optimus, Ironhide and Ratchet had come over for the time being to Mikaela's home, by the back alleyway of course. Her neighbor's had long since gone to work, and the fence in the back hid the alien visitors from view. She was happy to see them and offered them some motor oil. The equivalent to lemonade, which the humans consumed. Each of the mechs happily took it, while a grumpy Megatron looked on in mild jealously. Not that he'd ever partake in such crude, cheap, human made liquid, but he still wanted to enjoy something other than human drinks. How he missed the sweet taste of energon.

Maggie had also dropped by, and was helping Mikaela with hosting their mechanical and non-mechanical friends. Preparing lemonade and snacks. She had also gone inside to change out of her work clothes as well.

" Megatron, I see you have been behaving yourself with Mikaela. I'm very happy to hear that." said Optimus happily

" She's the only human I can stand on this miserable planet. Her mate however..." grumbled Megatron

" Hey, feeling's mutual, ok? You think I like knowing you're staying with my girlfriend. The reason I can't take you into my house is because my parents would have a cow." said Sam

" Why would they have a bovine living in your house?" asked Megatron flatly

" It's a figure of speech, Megapain." mumbled Ironhide

" I don't remember ever asking for an explanation, Ironslag!" spat Megatron

" Enough, you two. Megatron, I heard from Sam that you will no longer be under the care of Mikaela. That you'll be living with a woman, Ms. Maggie Madson." asked Optimus

" Yes I am." he replied

" Ah, a woman now? You sure don't waste time, huh?" chuckled Ironhide. Hinting at something that Megatron didn't really want to think about.

" If you don't shut that fragging mouth of yours, I'll...!" he roared, right before he was interrupted by a returned Maggie.

" More lemonade?" called Maggie from inside Mikaela's home. Surprisingly, she came out wearing a cool and breezy looking summer dress, with a small glass pendant necklace gracing her bare shoulders, and hair done up in a messy bun. Perfect outfit for today's warm summer weather. And to grab the attention of a certain male in the group.

" Sure, I'll have some." said Sam, holding out a glass

" What are you guys talking about? Any Cybertronian secrets I should know?" teased Maggie

" Nah, nothing like that, well except a few memories about our younger days back on our planet. Nothing too interesting." said Ratchet

" Ah, I see." she said

" I'll be inside then." and with that she left a full pitcher of lemonade on the little folding table between the bots and humans, and walked off with the empty one. Purposely leaving the screen door open. There was no way she was going to pass the opportunity to sneak a peek at their younger lives.

" She's gone, Megatron, you can put your optics back in their sockets." chuckled Ironhide

" That's a nice dress, I wonder where she got it." said Mikaela

" More like, I wonder who's she's wearing it for? Eh?" teased Sam, Bumblebee gave a thumbs up.

" Hmm?" asked Megatron " What do you mean?"

" She's wearing that for you, Megs." smiled Mikeala " Geez, men."

" And he was totally checking her out." added Sam " She got you hook, line and sinker."

" She is a rather fetching young woman...by human standards of course." Ratchet added

" What is wrong with you all? I do not find her attractive!" yelled Megatron, disgusted by the fact they thought he was becoming infatuated with the human femme. He felt something, but he wasn't sure what. But it couldn't be anything resembling an attraction.

" How come you keep eyeing her then?" smiled Ironhide " I know that look, I've seen it on myself plenty of times around femmes."

Meanwhile inside the house, Maggie held the door frame with eyes wide open. She had nearly dropped he empty pitcher when she heard them talking. ' He was checking me out?' she thought ' Well of course, wearing this in front of him, but....he really was? Maybe there's something there then.'

" She's not attractive, but she isn't an eyesore either. She looked nice. I can stare at anything I want." shouted Megatron

" Aw you guys, stop teasing him. He's still getting used to the idea of human women finding him handsome." said Bumblebee

" It doesn't surprise me really. Back on Cybertron before war, he was considered a very attractive bachelor. He had a few 'flings' with some femmes, but nothing serious." said Optimus

' Attractive bachelor?' thought Sam sarcastically.

" Oh really now? Hmm, this is a side of Megs I'm not familiar with." said Mikaela, pulling up a lawn chair to sit on.

" Don't we have more important things to discuss?" mumbled Megatron.

" Well, I did want to talk about your air commander, Starscream. You and I know how traitorous he can be, and he's been wanting to take your place as leader for quite some time. Now that he is, I wouldn't doubt he has plans to return to Earth with his armada." explained Optimus

" Why should I help you with that information?" Megatron said, crossing his arms.

" Because as a human, you are in danger of being killed by him. And primus help you, if he learns that you're still alive. He'd hunt and slaughter you. And that's just sugarcoating it."

Megatron cringed. Knowing Starscream, he would indeed do something like that. However, he'd probably be tortured first, then killed, and then left as an example in front of his army. He winced. No, that cannot happen. He hated being human, but being dead was worse.

" So, what do you want to know?" he mumbled

" Everything. Whatever information that is vital to stop Starscream at all costs. Millions of lives, and yours, depend on it." said Optimus.

" I have some more lemonade for you all." said Maggie, bringing another pitcher to the group. This time it was hard for her to look at Megatron in the eye. Her face felt hot, and she could see his face had also turned a bit pink. Of course it could have been a sunburn too. Her eyes lowered, and she quickly went inside. While Megatron's eyes followed her. His chest felt uncomfortably tight, was it worry over his well being, or was it...her? Optimus answered that question for him.

" Her life, also depends on it as well, Megatron." said Optimus

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was later on into the evening that the two teens and Megatron had followed Maggie downtown to her appartment, the place Megatron would be staying at, at least, that's what Sam hoped. The apartment was located not too far from the main street in an refurbished firehouse building, with a bistro and two convenience stores just a walk away. It was a quiet area, with the whistle of a train heard in the distance.

" Well guys, this is my apartment. It's not really furnished much, since I only live here alone and I'm hardly home nowadays. It's a big change from the last place, but since the NBEs..I'm sorry, Autobots are here in Nevada, I was sent here to keep track of them."

" Do they pay your rent? This place must cost quite a lot to live here." said Mikaela

" Haha, they're nice, but not that nice. No, I still have to pay my own rent, but with my salary it's not too bad. Plus I believe the reason they sent me here was not to keep track of the Autobots, but to keep everyone involved in the same area." said Maggie

" Oh, wow, I didn't think about that. What about Captain Lennox though? Why isn't he in Tranquility?" asked Sam

" He's with them, he's in the service. Who are they going to trust more, a civilian or a solider?"

" You got a point there." said Sam " Hmm...There's two rooms. Was that supposed to be for someone?"

Maggie smiled inwardly. Smart kid.

" My sister would have used that room this month, but turns out her employer was in Austria. So she moved there, while I got stuck here with too much room. She didn't really think highly of moving to Tranquility though, but now that Megs is here, maybe he can...fill that empty space?"

" How about it, Megs? It's totally up to you." said Sam

He ran his fingers across the door framing of the empty room, taking in the space. There was a window overlooking the mountains, and a bare twin mattress, blank walls with a small closet on the right. Other than that, there was nothing else. It could be filled in later on, although he had very little to begin with.

He shurged and finally said " Sure. Why not."

" Great! Then it's all set, we can move your stuff in here and get it all prepped for your stay." said Maggie

" What stuff? He doesn't have anything except a few bags of clothes." smiled Sam

" Oh...oh..well then I guess all that's left to buy some blankets. He can borrow mine for now. We can buy them tomorrow, there's a shop just a walk from here that sells comforters and stuff." said Maggie

" Comforters?" asked Megatron

" There're a type of blanket, but thicker and more soft." explained Sam " You'll need them, it's going to get cold here soon."

" I'll be right back, I'm going to get his clothes from the back of Bee." said Mikeala, and sped off downstairs to the street below.

" This reminds me of a slumber party." said Maggie " Only, longer. Megatron, can I call you that..? Um, are you sure you really want to stay, I don't want to push you into something you don't want to do. I mean, living like this. is it...ok with you?"

" I don't understand. This is a building, a place to stay and live. As long as my needs are met, I'll be 'ok'." he said flatly. Why was it he couldn't look at her straight, without feeling something...alien to him?

" No I meant. Well, you're a man and I'm a woman, and...we're not in any sort of relationship. But..." she stumbled on her words.

" Mags...I don't think Cybertronians have any problem with living in sin." mused Sam

" Living in sin?" asked Megatron. He knew what 'sin' was, he had read it before somewhere. Something about evil, but what that had to do with living with a human women he had no idea. Why were humans so slaggin strange? Why all the odd, unnecessary customs and rituals? It seemed they loved to complicate things on purpose.

" It means, a man and a women living together, but aren't married. Anyways that's not important, you probley don't mind, being what you are...were..I just wanted to make sure. I mean, someone people think it's awkward to be living with someone who um.." she explained. She wanted to kick herself. And judging from the look upon his face, she had succeeded in completly confusing him.

" I'm back!" shouted Mikaela, druging in with several bags of clothes from the mall. She gave him a cold stare " And Sam...I thought you were going to help me."

" I'm tired." he mumbled

" Boys are so lazy." she said, putting the bags in the empty room that Megatron was going to stay in. " Anyways, that's it for now. Ratchet just called Bumblebee downstairs and said that if Megs gives you any trouble, that you can call him by pressing 4076 on your phone. Turns out the Autobots have us hooked into their frequency. Kinda nifty."

" I didn't know that." said Sam " That's pretty cool."

" You guys are leaving already?" asked Maggie " It's still early. Stay a bit, we can watch some movies,"

" Nah it's ok, Sam and I were going to go to the lookout. To talk and stuff. Plus Bumblebee needed to go report to Optimus about Megatron."

" To the..ohhhh I get it. I get. Well go on. I don't want to stop you two." she smiled slyly. She'd been young once. She had been here long enough to learn what teenagers got up to on that lookout.

Sam rubbed the back of his head nervously, til Mikaela grabbed by the hand and led to the door.

" We'll come back after school to check up on you. ok? And Maggie, call me if he gives you any problems."

" I doubt he will." smiled Maggie

" Ok, bye Maggie, behave Megs!" they waved, and the door closed.

" Looks like it's you and me now. It's still early. Want something to eat?"

Only one type of food came to the former Decepticon leader's mind.

" Pizza."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bloopers:

" You guys are leaving already?" asked Maggie " It's still early. Stay a bit, we can watch some movies,"

" Nah it's ok, Sam and I were going to go to the lookout. To talk and stuff. Plus Bumblebee needed to go report to Optimus about Megatron."

" To the..ohhhh I get it. I get. Well go on. I don't want to stop you two." she smiled slyly. She'd been young once. She had been here long enough to learn what teenagers got up to on that lookout.

" It's about time Megs and I were alone ourselves. I want to 'talk' about some things too. Preferably in the bedroom." smiled Maggie, seductively.

" What? Oh Primus no! She's still going to try to rape me?!" he cried

" We get it. Well See you two tomorrow then. Have fun violating Megs, Maggie!" Smiled Sam

" You slagger! You're worse than Starscream!!!"


	14. Late Night Show

That night was a lot like the one he spent at Mikaela's. Full of food, TV and talk. Only this time, it seemed to be a more stimulating and intellectual conversation. It was refreshing to talk to someone more grownup and analytical for a change. He had quite a mental handful with Maggie, and she had questions...lots of them. About everything. He was reminded of a curious sparkling, which was a step up from what he was reminded of around the human teenagers. Maggie had ordered two boxes of pizza as well as a "movie". Which according to her was a recording of humans, acting out a fictional event or situation, which is later copied into disks of data and played on metal boxes. The concept was very similar to what they had on Cybertron, only they were three dimensional, and could be interacted with. Megatron mused 'Humans can't be too primitive, if they can entertain themselves in this manner.

Despite the movie playing, Maggie wasn't too interested in it, she was giving her full attention to the former Decepticon leader instead. While he didn't mind the questions, he did want to enjoy himself with the primitive entertainment, but she wasn't letting him. So he figured the best way to shut her up, would be to answer them as quickly and accurately as possible. Since fusion cannons were not an option at the moment.

" So what do Cybertronians eat? Do they eat? Or is it some kind of energy or data that they consume?" she asked

" We consume energy, it's called Energon. A bright purple liquid, similar to the fuel Earth vehicles use to run on, but it's not derived from fossils or plants."

" Wow....so...what if a car from Earth, were to use that as fuel? What would happen?"

" It would wear down, and the insides would melt. The metal you use to create automobiles, is too light and fragile."

" But you're made of metal...er..your race, is made of metal. What kind exactly?" she asked

" Cybertronium. 50 times stronger than Earth's steel, and by no means light. However, it can float."

" You know Megatron...can I call you Megatron, or are you going by another name now? Maybe 'The Robot formerly known as Megatron'?" she laughed. He stared at her awkwardly. He didn't get the joke, and there was a slight awkward silence between them.

" Whatever you feel like calling me. It doesn't matter to me." he shrugged.

She pondered it over and then smiled, " Matt. Megs is kind of childish. It's ok if Sam and Mikaela call you that, but I would like to address you more formally."

" Thank you." he nodded, very impressed by her show of respect to him. Obviously he knew she knew who she was dealing with. He reached down to grab his 8th piece of pizza. Maggie watched in mild amusement, and wondered if he knew what so much could do to his body. She knew he had little understanding of human anatomy. Then she paused at that last word....'Oh Maggie don't go there. Even if you did...he's still know.' She shook her head to clear those thoughts.

" Oh...you do know that pizza isn't a healthy food, right?" she pointed out.

" It's not? Then why does it taste so good?" he said, biting into the slice. Something so bad, can't possibly taste so good.

" Everything bad for you, tastes good, that's just how things are. Like having too much of a good thing is bad for you." she explained. He huffed, and grabbed another slice. So much for that thought.

" Like having too much energon then." he replied between bites

" I suppose. I'd have to take your word for it, never tasted energon before." she said

" You wouldn't be able to. It would melt the skin right off your bones. However, since I have tasted many types of drinks, courtesy of Mikaela, it's taste is akin to fermented grape juice."

She giggled " Wine? Are you serious? That's amazing. I love the taste of wine. It's good for you too, in moderation, so I've heard. Can you get drunk on energon?" she asked

" Yes, surprisingly." he chuckled

" Is this coming from experience?" she asked, trying not to laugh.

" ....Yes. I've had my...experience with it in that way. Only once though." he said, a bit flustered. Remembering a time on Cybertron at a local Energy bar, and few two many drinks.

" Did you get a hangover?"

" A what?" he asked

" Are there side effects to drinking too much energon?"

" There is, but none of which you'd be familiar with."

" Like what?"

" Too much energy can build up over time, and...are you familiar with the mechanics of a car? Too much heat can damage the water pump and radiator. It's similar to that."

" Sounds like me after I eat Italian." she said. He cocked his head in confusion.

'Cultural differences, Maggie.' she thought. " It sounds like heart burn."

" A human's heart can burn?" he asked, his tone of voice raising with disbelief. " I didn't know a human's heart could become combustible!"

Maggie almost choked on her 4th slice of pizza, giggling like a hyena. For a former intelligent robotic tyrant, he was so naive about humans that it bordered on hilarious.

" May I ask what is so funny about human hearts on fire?" he asked with mild annoyance at her sudden lack of maturity.

" No, no..nothing, it's just the way you said it. No, human's heats can't burn, not by themselves anyways. Heart burn is a figure of speech. When humans say they have heart burn, it usually means a pain in the heart, not that's on fire or anything."

" Oh, I see. I still have trouble with the sayings you humans often add to your daily conversations. Especially among the younger of your species. They use them the most." he said

" Well what can I say? Humans like their idioms. There's another meaning to heart burn too, though. What you said before, about a human's heart on fire. There is something very similar to that, but it's actually very pleasant."

" The burning of your heart can be pleasant?" he asked

" In some ways...yes. It can." she said, a bit flustered. Not know if he would understand that little innuendo.

" I don't understand." he said.

'Figures..." she thought to herself

" I wasn't expecting you too. But don't worry, maybe he just need to be human a bit longer." she said, reaching toward him, stopping at his forehead, and lightly brushing away some stray bangs from his face. His really handsome face. She blushed slightly, still wondering over this odd attraction to him. Why him? Why her? Why did something so right, feel so wrong? Was this part of some strange cosmic joke?

" Is there something wrong?" he asked, looking at her from across the sofa with red rusty eyes. His expression of pure confusion.

" My heart is burning." she said, almost whispering, reaching to flicking one last stray strand of dark hair from his face. his eyes still lingering on her, as if trying to figure out what she was doing. 'As if he would ever find out.' she said to herself. She smiled, and soon made her way to the kitchen, taking the empty pizza boxes with her. " Don't worry too much about it though, it's only a fleeting feeling. One you're not yet familiar with." she called from the kitchen, disappearing from his view.

Megs touched the spot where her soft fingers had just lightly touched his skin. He felt a shiver, but not of cold, it was something else. Something alien to him. He pondered as he stroked that spot, retracing her touch. 'All this talk of burning hearts...and I think...mine is starting to feel odd too.'

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Author's Notes:

I'm back! I'm back! And yes, this was a super short chapter, but I wanted to make sure you guys knew I wasn't dead. I finally got my computer back from repairs, and it's fine now. It's power cord just needed to be replaced. Anyways, thank you for waiting, and sending me reviews in my absence. So let's get on with the story! I'm just as exicited about a potenicial Maggie/Megatron pairing as any of you. :D


	15. Hot n' Cold

Nutritional facts: Contains talk of...'parts', and shower scenes. Nothing sexual...yet...

* * *

Later into the night, after Megatron decided to take a shower before bed(claiming he liked the sensation of water on his skin), Maggie had sat down on her laptop, and began to browse the net, and check her email. One of them caught her eye, it was a letter from Captain Lennox, in a heavily encrypted note. Her firewall was installed by the government, and it seemed to be giving the green flag that it was ok to click. She curiously opened it, and read it:

_"Hello Maggie. William Lennox here. Just got back home from the whole incident. I had a briefing to go through, as I'm sure you'll be going to go through as well. I just wanted to make sure you're safe, and that Sam and Mikaela are doing well. My wife and daughter are doing great, and I believe Ironhide has become attached to her, as much I have. Never thought I'd love another girl as much as I do with Anabelle._

_However, this letter isn't all happy news, I'm afraid. I got a letter from the Secretary of Defense the other day, and there is a summon for a Matthew Banes, who according to an insider, is really the NBE-1 in a human form? He'll be accompanied by a 'holder', who's allowing him the use of their last name to prevent suspicion from the disbanded Sector Seven. Have you seen him yet, or know where he's being detained? Please respond Maggie, as I'm sure you're just as curious as I am._

_A friend, Lennox"_

Maggie's blood ran cold. Megatron was being summoned by the Secretary of Defense himself? At Hoover Dam?! Oh no. That can not be good. But then again, how on Earth did they find out about "Matt"? She'd have to ask him, Sam and Mikeala. This was extremely serious. She wanted to chuckle at the soldier's questions, since she knew where the "NBE-1" was being "detained", but the other half of the letter made her fear for Matt. Despite the connections he has with Optimus Prime, he would be considered a prisoner of war, and because he's human, he can be charged under the set of human laws, forced into labor, or even worse....be put to death.

" No...no..there has to be a way out of it. He's not dangerous anymore, at least, not as dangerous. I have to talk to Mr. keller before this gets out of hand."

Her head turned to the sound of running water from her bathroom, where an oblivious Megatron, was enjoying the simple human pleasure of water. How would he react upon knowing that the people who had held him for more than half a century, and whom he had tried to kill, were now demanding to speak to him.

* * *

Megatron had turned the dial to an amount he felt was just right. It took some time to get used to, as it was a different kind of dial than the one at Mikaela's, but he managed. He didn't want to ask Maggie for help, he wanted to do these things on his own. He wanted to learn, and the best way to do that, was to do it the way any being in the universe would. Trial and error. It worked for him before in his last life, why wouldn't it now?

He undressed, feeling the healing wound on his chest. He looked in the mirror and grimaced. Stupid human body, it was so slow to heal itself. He also smirked at his human features, he still wasn't used to the idea of having flesh. So different from a metal form, which was much more durable and longer wearing. He stepped into the shower, and those thoughts quickly became replaced.

" Mmm..." he smiled, letting the water hit him " Humans take for granted that they have water within their planet. Cybertron had to import it off-world. It was much more rare."

He took a wash rag that Maggie had given to him for his own use. He looked around and found soap, one of them smelled like pungent flowers, but the other one smelled like rain. He didn't like either one, and wondered if there was one that didn't smell like anything.

' Oh well, at least it's something to clean myself with.' he thought, and lathered up. He felt kind of silly, indulging this way, but with a body practically covered with touch receptors, why shouldn't he take advantage of it? Every drop of warm water hitting his body was absolute bliss. Despite his previous thoughts, having flesh wasn't so bad. It had it's good points as well. Humans knew a much larger range of touch than Cybertronians, their skin was so sensitive.

The bad points were mostly brief feelings, but they were ones that he reflected on most. The feeling of fingernails, scratching him too hard, and leave a red mark. Sometimes his skin would get dry and crack. Or a certain soap would cause his skin to become inflamed, and break out. Mikaela called it 'hives', skin allergies. Those were things he'd rather not have. Showering was a different story entirely, since he wasn't covered by anything.

He was rather unnerved by the fact his more intimate parts were exposed, and not protected by anything. Cybertronians had their intimacy comfortably protected inside a shell of metal. Plus is was wires that needed to be covered, which could tangle and become damaged. It was done out of practicality. Now, the only thing that would cover him was clothes, and that wasn't much protection at all. The concept of 'shame' wasn't the issue at all for him. He was still confused about that cultural aspect of humanity.

'"I still don't understand what there is to be ashamed about." he said, looking down, studying himself. His eyebrows crossed. It was probably the first time he really looked at himself closely, naked at least. He didn't really like what he saw. He whimpered slightly at the loss of his Mechhood, which was replaced by these...organs.

" I take it back. No wonder humans cover themselves, their naked bodies are hideous." he mumbled. He shivered involuntarily, and mentally vowed to never look between his legs again. He went back to washing the rest of his body, his hair, and most importantly, his back. Something about running hot water on the back of neck felt wonderful. It took his mind off the previous few minutes, and made him melt. He turned up the heat slightly, and felt a small painful tingle, before he felt pleasure again. He turned it higher, same thing, only more intense.

That's when, he began to feel slightly lightheaded.

* * *

Maggie sipped a cup of tea she had made to calm her poor worried nerves. She didn't know why she should be concerned, the summon wasn't for her. No. She was worried because it might mean that Matt would no longer be able to stay with her. To be away from him, was painful. She had barely met him only a day ago, but she felt like she had known him for far longer than that.

" What if they freeze him again? For study?" she blocked that out of her mind. Prehaps she was just over worrying about things. They may not do anything at all to him, maybe they just want to talk.

She huffed at that, " Yea right. Give men a few nukes, a grudge, and talking is the last thing on their list."

Of course the real question was, how would Matt react to the thought of going back to Hoover Dam, after all that effort to fight his way out of it? Like hell he'd calmly walk back into that place.

" Oh...what to do." she looked at the clock next to her. 12:23, that late already? And Matt was still in the shower.

" Eh, a few more minutes wouldn't hurt." she shrugged. In fact it might help him take in the whole 'summon to Washington' better. If she knew him like she saw before he was human, she knew he'd be capable of quite a temper. Human form or not.

" I wonder if I should reply to Will? But what I can say?" she said out loud. Her fingers found the keyboard again, and she popped open her word processor to write a test latter to him.

_" Hey there Will, this is Maggie. I got your letter just this afternoon."_

"Good, that sounds good."

_" I'm glad to hear your little girl and wife are doing well. As for your questions, yes, I am aware that NBE-1 is now a human man, but not that he was being summoned to Hoover Dam. As for his location..."_

She stopped. She wasn't sure if she should tell Lennox that Megatron was living with her currently. It might send the poor soilder to do something crazy, maybe even drive all the way to her, and save her from the evil robot man.

_" ...as for his location, I wasn't told about it. Prehaps we'll meet at Hoover Dam to find out more about this. Please take care, and see you there._

_-Your friend, Maggie"_

" That should do it. Sounds good." She copied and pasted it into her email browser, her finger hovered over the send button just a bit, before pressing it. She still wasn't sure she should have replied to him so soon.

" Well, what's done is done. I wonder if Glen knows aboutt his. Maybe I should call him up just to see, unless he's geeking out on Guitar Hero again." she huffed at the later, sound exactly like something he'd do. Ever since he was hired by Air Force One as one of their top computer security specialists, at the request of Mr. Keller. But he still acted like a kid.

" I'm sure he knows more about it than AF-1, Will, and I combined." she said. She was about to grab her cell, but something nagged her about Megatron. He was staying in there way too long that he should have been. Part of her wanted to check on him, but part of her was too embarrassed to do so.

" I don't want to walk in on him naked. Although...that might not be so bad either." that mental image alone was enough to create some lovely dreams that night. " Oh Maggie, don't even go there." She still got up from her chair to knock on the bathroom door.

" Matt, I know you're new to the whole feeling of water, and you really like it. But it's time to go to sleep." she said at the door. There was no response. She knocked again. " Matt? You ok in there?"

Still no answer. She got a bit nervous. " Matt? I'm going to come in, ok?" she twisted the knob, and found that he had forgotten to lock it. She was in shock at what she saw. The water was running, but the body of Matt was lying sprawled on the shower floor unconscious, his face submerged in the shallow water. The steaming water from the shower head was hitting him, causing a burn on his left shoulder. She quickly turned off the water, and ran to his side.

" Matt! Oh my god! What happened? Matt! Wake up!" she nudged him on the shoulder, then shook him. He still didn't open his eyes, she also noticed, he wasn't breathing. She quickly speed-dialed Ratchet.

" Ratchet? Please answer, ple..."

" Hello?" answered a gruff, but professional sounding voice.

" Ratchet!! Oh thank god! Ratchet, something's wrong with Matt...er..Megatron! I found him in the shower unconcous, he's not breathing and I don't know what happened, but he won't wake up!"

" Calm down Maggie, I'll be there in a few minutes."

" Thank you, Ratchet." she said

She hung up, and brushed Matt's cheek in worry. Should she try to perform CPR, or would that complicate things? She didn't even know what was wrong with him, but that still didn't stop her from trying SOMETHING. She had to get him to breath, and fast, time was against her. She blushed at bit, being so close to him, and the fact he was completely naked, but she couldn't be bothered by that now. She slowly positioned him flat on the floor, his chin up and his mouth slightly open.

" I hope those years at summer camp payed off." she signed, as she pinched his nose, and her lips met his. She breathed air into his lungs, and did a quick push on his diaphragm three times.

"Breath for me...please!" she whispered. She repeated again.

" Matt, please wake up.." she repeated again, and suddenly, felt movement underneath her, and heard him cough. His rust colored eyes fluttering open, followed by more coughing, and water spurting from his mouth.

" Ma...Maggie...?" he said breathlessly.

" Matt! Oh thank god!" she cried, holding him tightly, as he tried to get up. He coughed again, but now from her unexpected lung busting embrace. " I was so scared! I called Ratchet, but I couldn't wait and I..."

"...Saved my life." he finished.

" Yes...I had to. I didn't want to lose you." she said, worry in her green eyes, threatening to over flow " I care about you too much." she said, embracing him again.

His swallowed a bit nervously, bit his lip and felt his heart beating a little too fast for his liking. Was he still feeling sick, or was it something else? Something like..what she had said before. A burning heart?

" ....Maggie...I'm.." he started.

Maggie sat up, and then quickly looked away. " I'm sorry!" she said. He quickly looked at himself. Oh...right...he grabbed a towel and covered himself. " I should be the one..." His heart was beating even faster now.

" No!, No...it's my fault." she giggled, starting to feel relieved now thathe was awake. " I'll leave you to get dressed. I think I scared Ratchet, the poor bot. I made him worry about nothing."

" My life isn't nothing Maggie, what you did just now...no ever did that for me before." he said to her.

" Really? But, you were their leader." she replied softly

" That doesn't mean they liked me. Maggie, I owe you my life for what you did. But, I also want to tell you somet..." he coughed, and tried to stand up.

" Don't get up. I think Ratchet's outside right now, I need to tell him you're alright." she said " I'll be right back! Stay there!" she said, as she left the bathroom, and the front door opened and closed in a rush.

" Maggie...I need to tell you something impor...." but he was cut off by the shutting on the bathroom door.

He slumped against the wall, still slightly lightheaded, but also annoyed. " Humans..."

* * *

Megatron had gotten changed quickly, and with a little help walking down the stairs, as he was still light headed, he made his way to the parked medical vehicle outside. The ambulance's doors opened, beckoning him inside.

" I'll you to stay outside Maggie. I need to perform a thorough examination of him."

" I don't like the sound of that, Autobot."

" That's to bad for you, get inside, now!" he commanded.

" Better do as the good doctor says, Matt." said Maggie.

" 'Good Doctor?', I beg to differ." he grumbled, and climbed inside. The interior was surprisingly cold, even the little medical bed's sheets were cold.

" Lay down down on the table, Megatron. I'll see just what the cause of your suddenly lack of consciousness is."

" Make it quick, this is bringing me bad memories." he said, as he layed back, wincing at a sudden pain on his left shoulder.

Without a second work, several lasers and points of light hit him, criss-crossing and weaving to and fro, as the medic studied his body. From his framework to his muscles, to his flesh. The lights flickered, and a small claw came out of the interior.

" Sit up now, I've discovered the problem and will apply treatment. Lift your left arm." he said. Megatron felt like some nameless patient of his, the way Ratchet spoke.

Ratchet's little claws began applying a gel to soothe the burn, gauze and tape to his back. Quickly, painless, and surprisingly accurate and delicate.

" Your sudden lapse was caused by the overheating your body, caused by overly hot water. Usually not a reason to collapse, but your body seems to lack the endurance to high temperatures. Very similar to a heat stroke. The burn was from the hot water, its a mild case, and should heal within a few days."

" Is that all then?"

" And you may want to cut down your consumption of carbohydrates, and saturated fats. The link seems to involve the fast food humans call, pizza."

" They shouldn't make it taste so good then." he grumbled, and scooted off the table. " May I go now? It's late, and Maggie insists I recharge early."

" Your mental health. You seem quite stressed, your brain patterns show a high amount of activity."

" That's none of your concern. I didn't know a medic could also be an electropsychologist as well." mumbled Megatron, which got him a good knock to the head with Ratchet's finger.

" I make it my duty to know everything wrong with my patients, Megatron. The physical as well psychological. You heartbeat has become faster, your glands are producing more sweat...not mention a slight increase in pheromones."

" Is that a bad thing?" he huffed

" No, but humans tend to send out those signals when a certain stimuli is triggered. I'm sure you've noticed your body doing odd things by itself. Mostly in the lower region." he motioned to Megatron crotch.

" Yes, I wanted to discuss that with the Witwicky boy, but he seemed hesitant and uncomfortable about it."

" Indeed. He's still of a young age, and immature mindset. Human sexuality is a touchy subject, even among older humans."

" What does human sexuality have to do with with me?" asked Megatron

" Obviously something is triggering these bodily changes. It could be anything really, humans are and can be affected by even the tiniest things. Things, we Cybertronians take for granted. In your case, Megatron, your body is reacting to a stimuli that you come into contact with often. Which could or could not, a certain female in the area. It put it layman's terms, you may be attracted to Ms. Maggie Madson."

" What?!" roared Megatron " I am NOT attracted to her!"

" Maybe not you personally, but your body is. It shows all the responses of wanting to mate with her. It should not come as a surprise, after all, she is a human being, and if you haven't noticed, so are you."

" I think I'm going to be sick."

" It will only trouble you more until you accept that is the case. If you want, I can call Mikaela, and see if she will allow you to stay with her. Unless she's also causing those same reactions."

" Ugg! No! I felt nothing for her! But this...! Why her? Why Maggie? I can't believe my body is acting this way, it's disgusting."

" It's a natural thing. Much like how you'd react to a beautiful Cybertronian femme."

" Maggie is not a Cybertronian femme, she is a human femme. There are vast differences!"

" ....Megatron, I believe the problem lies not with Ms. Maggie, but with you."

" What is that supposed to mean?"

" That you need to admit to yourself, that you have feelings for her."

Megatron stayed silent, not wanting to continue this. He had had enough of this subject, and it sickened him to to even think that he could love a human woman.

" If we're done, I would like to return to the apartment."

" Very well, however, the symtoms are not going to go away, Megatron. Even if you ignore it, they will still linger, and it will cause distress. For both you and her, unless you admit to yourself, like you would if you loved a Cybertronian femme. You know it, and I know it. I'll send a report back to Optimus and the others of your condition."

" You will do no such thing! I don't want that trigger happy slagger having yet another subject to mock me with!"

" I don't mean that, I mean your health condition. Optimus was worried about you tonight, but no one will know of the discussion we have just talked about. You have my honor as a medic."

" Fine..."


	16. Closer

Ratchet and Optimus had met each other at an empty truck stop outside of Tranquility. They figured it was far away enough from spying humans, and place to let it all hang out in the meantime. Being in vehicle form all the time could give a mech a cramp, and as they saw one another from the distance, they transformed and sat on the cool, chilly ground of the desert.

" Did you recieve the transmission from William Lennox?"

" I have, as well as the others. Seems we're being summoned by Mr. Keller again. This time it's about your brother, and I'm sure you're concerned about that."

" I am. As well as the emergency tonight. Is he alright?" asked the Autobot leader

Ratchet looked down a bit, and then at his leader hesitantly. Body language, to Optimus' trained eye, that conveyed a slight problem.

" He's fine...for now." said the Medic

" For now? Ratchet, is there a complication?"

The truth was out, so he might as well hear it. Part ways at least, he did give Megatron his word about the " other" thing.

" I'm afraid there is. I told him, it was simply a heat stroke, nothing to be concerned about, but what I didn't tell him was there's an abnormal liquid in his system that is causing stress to his heart, and if left unchecked could cause deterioration of his major organs."

Optimus was taken aback by this information. It wasn't like Ratchet to not tell a patient everything that was wrong with them. Last time he did that, was back on their home world. A mech had lost too much fluid and was too much in shock to realize that his systems were shutting down. Ratchet didn't have the spark to tell him, he wouldn't live to see his femme and sparkling again.

" You didn't tell him that? Ratchet, as a medic you have a duty to tell him everything that's wrong. It's not like you to leave out information that the patient needs to know."

" Considering the circumstances involved, Prime...I couldn't do it."

This scared him. If Megatron had a complication anything like the mech back on Cybertron....

" Why ever not, Ratchet. That was very unprofessional."

" I'm sorry, Optimus, but...It's just...your brother and Maggie. I can see it as clear as a nova that he cares about her, but he's just stubborn about it. He's changing, from the inside out, and he's acting like how he used to be, when I met you two back on Cybertron. Still a benevolent leader. If I told him about the anomaly, he'd go right back into hating his human form."

" Still, I'm applaud that you didn't tell him. He deserves to know, as well as Maggie. If his health fails, she will suffer as well. Not to mention Sam, who was given the duty to oversee him by the Allspark. They all need to know."

" I apologize. I'll tell him, but after I took a look over the biological samples of him. I found something unusual."

" What did you find?"

" Well, nothing unusual to us Cybertronians. But very unusual to humans. As far as I'm concerned, energon shouldn't be flowing into the human bloodstream."

" Energon? Are you sure? But that is highly lethal to a human."

" I'm just as surprised as you are. As far as I'm concerned, he should be a bloody mess on the floor. A drop of our 'blood', can melt human flesh off the bone."

" But why is it in there, and how did it get in there?"

Ratchet used a hologram of the image he took and set it on the side of the building like a projector. Showing the Autobot leader exactly what he saw.

" His red blood cells are chaging in composition on the molecular level. And not just his blood, but his skin, and muscle tissue. Almost like...he's reverting back."

" To his normal form?"

" I'm not sure yet. I took a bone marrow image as well as a scan of his brain activity. His bones are hardening, iron is collecting in some places, and brain impulses are on alert. I mistook it as a sign of human intimacy, since the brain patterns are similar."

Optimus's optics fluttered in shock at the medic.

" Intimacy? Since when?"

"....You were not suppost to hear that." he said, turning off his projector.

" Anything else you'd like to tell me, Ratchet?"

" Megatron has been reacting sexually to the female human, Maggie. Although, that's all I'm going to tell you."

Optimus gave the medic a glare.

" What? I gave him my word as a medic, I can't break that confidentiality."

" I suppose not. Is the energon causing these health conditions? Can it be cured or prevented yet?"

" I'm afraid I'll need another kind of sample for that. A brain sample."

" Is that a problem?"

" Well, in most cases no. But his case, if I make a laser incistion to take a sample, his blood will start clotting, and forming new cells. These new cells have a risk of becoming energon tinged, or just plain energon. The human heart can't pump that, and could very well lead to deteriation. Eventually....death."

" Primus." Optimus rubbed his temples in worry.

" But it's early, we can catch it. I don't know how long it will take before these cells to convert. But the longer we wait, the more risk he has for another stroke. He's in recharge now, so we must wait til tomorrow to take a sample."

" There's a problem with that, Ratchet."

" Oh that's right. I forgot about Hoover Dam tomorrow." frowned the Ratchet, but then an idea struck him. "Prehaps we can do it there. It's a quick sample and painless. It's also an ideal place, that presents no distractions or interruptions."

" I'll speak with Mr. Keller about it. I doubt he'll decline if we explain the situation."

" All of the information, Optimus?" asked the medic

" Only on a need to know basis." he smiled. He knew what Ratchet was referring to.

" Thank Primus. Human or not, Megatron would kill me if the rest of the humans knew."

-----------------------

" This is a joke, right?" asked Megs to Maggie, as he sat on the barstool of Maggie's kitchen counter. His face was tucked in his arms, slouched down on the counter's cool tiles. " Please...tell me this is a joke."

" No joke, I'm afraid. Mr. Keller has summoned for you at Hoover Dam. We're expected to go by helicopter tomorrow morning. And this isn't an invitation you can decline."

" This just keeps getting better and better." he said sarcastically. " First, it's a heat stroke, then I wake up to find out I'm to return to the place I was held for over 40 years! I hate being human."

" It's just a minor setback." she said, coming around him, and stroking his neck a bit. He leaned away from her touch at first, but felt that her touch was surprising gentle and soothing. To him, he felt like some kind of knot was being unkinked under his skin.

" Does that feel nice?" she asked, rubbing his shoulder.

" Surprising....yes." he said, thinking about the events that took place just a few minutes ago. He was tired, he felt feverish, but his brain was being overrun by questions and answers he didn't want to really think about. But if he never addressed them, as Ratchet had said. They're just cause more stress. He broke away from her touch and faced her. Looking directly into her hazel eyes.

" Maggie. I wanted to ask you something important. But I didn't have time to. Could I ask you now?"

" Sure. It's kind of late though, but...ask away." she smiled

Ok, this was it. No more beating around the bush. No more tip toeing around the subject. He was going to ask her straight out. Just like he would if he was still the Decepticon leader that he knew, was still inside him. The only difference was that he lacked the weapons to back up his courage. But what was there to be afraid of? She was a femme...er..female.

'Oh right' he thought ' Whatever the species, men fear...females.'

He gulped a bit, but his eyes remained on hers, never letting them wander. He had to ask her this, for own sanity.

" Do you...l." he couldn't get himself to say it, his fleshy tongue wasn't cooperating. " Do you..Laa..loo.."

" Do I...love you?" she finished for him

" Primus woman! Let ME say that!" he roared

She laughed playfully " If I didn't, we'd be here all night waiting for you to say it. But to anwser the question. Yes, I do love you. It maybe strange and odd to you, maybe even a bit disgusting."

" No, no...not disgusting! It's..normal." he said.

She smiled. That very same smile that hid nothing. No ill intentions, no malice. He loved that smiled, secretly. But smiled lengthened that silence that grew between them. Til those peach colored lips replied.

" Do you love me?"

Yes! Yes he did! He wanted to admit that he did. He so wanted to desparatly say so. But again. he was robbed of the words to reply to her. Primus! This human body made things so complicated!

" ...."

" Just say yes or no. I won't take it personally if you say no. I mean, you're not really human in mind, and I can understand..."

He put his fingers to her lips. 'Enough Maggie. Enough.' he thought

" You talk too much."

She smiled. " I know. I always do when I met someone I fancy." her eyes locking on to his. Refusing to let them go.

He found his fingers sliding down her lips, and tracing them. Soft, lush, full. And strangely...so tempting. Her fingers brushed the side of his face, and slowly she leaned onto him.

" What are you...?...Mmmmmmpf?"

He suddenly found those same lips on his own, and it took him completely by surprise. Her small arms caressing his neck, leaving ticklish, feather-like feelings on his skin. Her scent was intoxicating and sweet. He broke off from her embrace, his eyes wide in shock.

" What was that?" he asked

" A kiss. You don't have kisses where you come from?"

He shook his head. There was nothing like that on Cybertron. It was shocking, yes, but at the same time. It felt really nice, it even, dare he say...felt right somehow.

" Can I, try it?" he asked

She grinned coyly " Of course."

This time, he pulled her to him, a bit forcefully at first, but it yielded to soft caresses soon enough. His first kiss wasn't exactly romantic, it was sort of a test kiss. To get used to the feeling of his lips on another human's. He pulled away quickly, looked at her again, face flushed, and then leaned in to try it out once more. Maggie wasn't at all bothered by it, since it meant multiple kisses from him. Each one better than the last. Each one a little longer. She could tell he was starting to enjoy himself, as she broke away from his lips, leaving him to catch his breath, and nibbled on his neck. He squirmed a bit, not used to the feeling. But he didn't stop her either, he mimicked her actions, and answered her with his own sounds of pleasure.

She eventually took his hand and led him to the couch, where they started a whole new round. Her hands were roaming over his back, as she laid him down, trembling with anticipation. Every part she touched made the feeling of his lower stomach tingle, like so kind of fluttering feeling. Prehaps that's what Sam meant that one time. About Mikaela giving him 'butterflies', every time he saw her. Now he understood what the boy meant. Did all women have this kind of ability? If they did, why weren't the females of this planet the dominate ones? Never before, did he feel such overwhelming weakness, especially to a femme.

But man, did this feel awkward to him. The very feelings it instilled into him as he clung on to her, was almost...animal like. Instinctual, primal, savage. He clawed at her, causing her to moan, causing him to moan as well. He should be disgusted right now. At her, and himself. He should be reeling with repulsion, as the female pressed herself against his body, fumbling the buttons on his shirt, tearing it open to reveal the still healing burns of the Allspark on his chest. She looked at them for a split second, and began kissing them. Sending the feelings of feathers coursing up and down his body, his hips shifting, almost against his will. Causing the strange ache between his legs grow and spread. Her own hips pushing into his, her shirt wide open, revealing herself to his gaze. All of it, everything...was alien to him. But it wasn't unpleasant. Far from it. It felt so similar to self-induced overload, which he had to do often during the war. Mostly out of stress and frustration. His mind began to wonder if perhaps this act was...

" Stop...stop.." he told her, trying to sit up and catch his breath. " I'm sorry, but..what exactly are we doing?"

She pulled away from him, leaving him with a kind of hurt and confused expression on her face. What did he mean, 'What were they doing?' They were just about five articles of clothes away from having the night of their life. Maggie almost looked upset. Why did he stop? They were so close!

" I didn't hurt you did I?" she asked him.

" No! no, it was great! I've never felt like that before, well, I have, but...it was something else. I just...wanted to know what this act was." he explained

" You don't know?!" she cried out, her eyes fluttering.

He didn't know?! Did he really not have a clue that he and she were about to...Oh no. She grabbed the front of her blouse and got off of his lap. She could see from afar, he was already highly aroused, but he probably had little idea of what that was all about. Right now, she felt so disgusted with herself. How could she do this to him? She almost...she almost...

" I'm sorry. I...I got carried away." she stuttered, buttoning her shirt, not able to face him, her tears were starting to form..

" Carried away? What were you trying to do?" he asked, slightly nervous. He had hoped that he hadn't done something to anger her. Not after what he just felt awhile ago. He wanted to feel that again, but...he also wanted to know what it was exactly. Was it an expression of love, was it affection or was it...what he thought it was.

" It's all my fault! I..wasn't aware that you weren't aware of all this. I'm really, truely sorry. I took advantage, and that was really low of me. You must hate me right now."

" But..Maggie I..I don't hate you. But why were you...?"

" Just...leave me alone! I'm sorry." she said, her voice cracking. She walked into her bedroom and shut the door with a slam. From there, he could hear her talking out loud to herself, and suddenly a burst of crying. He felt a strong pull at his heart to make that crying stop. To comfort her, but he couldn't, not if she didn't want him near her. He figured he should get out of the apartment, there was an odd silence that made him uncomfortable. And unwanted.

'Would Mikaela be up?' he thought, pulling on his shirt and fixing the rest of his clothes. ' Even if she's not, anywhere is better than here right now.'

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Author's Notes: Yes, yes..I stopped before it went too far. I want to save that for later, only because I wanted to explore Megs reaction to the whole thing, once he found out she was about to get it on with him. Also, the next chapter deals more with the whole Hoover Dam thing as well. There's a big plot point that's going to throw a wretch in their relationship. I'm thinking of something starting with the word "Star"....oh yea, he's going to be showing up, so the sex is going to be for another chapter entirely. Nothing too graphic, as I want to make sure I won't lose all my readers, but you guys will get your smut soon.

And if anyone wants to know, I was listening to "Closer by Nine Inch Nails" while writing this(hense the title). Only I imagine Maggie singing this to him instead. I am such a pervert!


	17. Turn of Events

Author's Notes: Warning! Attention!! Talk of sex(Human and Cybertronian), male parts, and masturbation in the following chapter (no details though, just science). If you are immature, just stop and go read some Mary-sue, TF fantards' crackfics someplace else. Otherwise enjoy the fic! :D

* * *

He had grabbed the spare key and a jacket as he headed outside, trying to ignore the painful sensation between his legs. How it happened and what had happened...he had no clue. It just hurt, and made him feel weak at the same time, like some sort of swooning for something. Oh, how he hated this human body and it's strange urges. He mentally pushed himself to go to the corner market a few blocks down to make a call at the payphone. He wasn't sure Mikayla would be up right now, it was already past midnight and he had no else he could call...except the Witwicky boy. But he wasn't THAT desperate.

He made it to the corner market, but noticed the payphone was no where to be found. He walked inside the little market to ask what had happened to it. The owner had a thick accent, and his answers just made Megatron more agitated and stressed out. He finally left, and decided to just walk back to the apartment and try to make peace with Maggie...for whatever he did. But he didn't feel like he should.

" Why **should** I? She said she was the one who got carried away. Now I'm in pain, and she's crying as if I did something to her. The females of this species are even more confusing than my own. Primus, you must laughing at me right now."

He spotted Maggie's car as he made his way up the familiar block, and he looked down at the set of keys he grabbed. He took her's by mistake, but he figured, perhaps he could try to drive. It didn't seem hard, but then again crashing and dying, like he saw on TV didn't appeal to him. He settled for the next option, take a taxi instead. He fished around his pocket and found a little wad of cash. He thanked Primus it didn't get lost during tonight's activities. He could use the money Mikaela had given him, incase of an emergency. However, he was surprised to see Ratchet cruising by. The medical vechice stopped and they had instantly recognized each other.

" Megatron? Why are you out here? Shouldn't you be at Maggie's at this time." asked Ratchet, his voice was low.

" And what are you? My keeper?"

" No, but I'm sure Sam would like to know. It's unusual for you to be out here, unless something has happened."

" We had some minor trouble. Nothing serious, just...I had to take off and get away."

" Did you do anything to her?" he growled

" I hadn't done anything to her, it's what she did to me."

Ratchet sniffed the air, causing his CPU to light up with inputs of a surprising nature. He sniffed again to make sure.

" What exactly...did she do?" he asked the man slowly

Megatron looked down, his face flushed. " I rather not talk about it now. I need to get to Mikaela's house...then I suppose we can talk there."

Ratchet hesitantly opened his doors to allow him to get in. Inside, he scanned him discreetly, confirming his thoughts. It seemed Megatron was incredibly aroused, but also very upset. So, Maggie had tried to do THAT to him. Interesting. However, he stayed silent about it. Best to let him tell the whole story when he was ready.

* * *

Sam had since gone home, but Bumblebee had drove back to Mikaela's to hang out with her. Apparently, she didn't want to go to sleep yet, and was busy working on an old car for a client. Thanks to Bumblebee's help, she had made fast progress. She knew a heck of a lot about cars, but it helped to get a second option from an actual car as well.

" Wow, it's coming along nice. By this weekend, it'll be all fixed up. Thanks for the help Bee."

" It was my pleasure." he said, before looking up to hear a sound that Mikaela couldn't..just yet. His ultra sensitive hearing made him stand up from his crouched position as he saw the lights of a familiar mech make it's way up the narrow driveway.

Mikaela peaked up from the hood of the old car to catch a glimpse of the visitor. " Ratchet?"

Bumblebee walked over to the medic curiously, and saw the occupant inside. " Ratchet? What happened to Megatron?"

" He's fine...physically. However, I believe he's gone through some shock at an unfamiliar experience with Maggie Madson."

" What did you do to her?" asked Mikaela, growing angry and cleaning off her hands from the car grease.

" Why is the blame always put on **me**?!" growled Megatron, getting down, as the mechanical medic opened his doors.

"That's because you have proven millennia after millennia that you can't be trusted when you're left to your own devices." grumbled Ratchet " However, in this case, it was the femme's mistake."

" That isn't really like her. what exactly do she do?" asked Mikaela

" I was hoping you could answer that for me." said Megatron slowly.

With his head dipped low, he sat on the porch and proceeded to tell the human and two mechs about what just happened not too long ago.

* * *

" She what?!" shouted the three beings in unison

" She...put her lips to mine and kept pressing on them over and over again. Then she started taking off my clothes, and her hands were wandering down between my..."

" **Whoaa**! **Ok**! I don't need to hear anymore!" Mikaela waving her hands to stop him. Wow, Maggie sure is full of surprises.

" It felt...weird..but not unpleasant."

" Yea I'll bet. So, Maggie tried to get into your pants, and then what happened? Did you guys do it?" she asked

" Do what?"

" The deed? The act?....sex?" asked Mikaela

" Sex? You mean...**Holy Primus**!" he roared, standing up, tugging at his hair, and shouting (for the first time since the incident) in his native Cybertronian tongue. Ranting and raving like a man possessed. Mikaela vaguely remembered Sam telling her, that his great aunt often did that in Swedish when she was emotionally upset. From what was coming out his mouth, it seemed to cause Bumblebee to squirm uncomfortably. And Ratchet held his hand out to try to calm him down, clicking and whistling a response in their language. All in all, Mikaela was kind of glad she didn't understand it.

" Megs, calm down. You didn't do it, did you? I mean, it's ok if you **did**, things...**happen**..um." said Mikaela

" You're making him even more nervous." said Bumblebee, who was quite nervous himself.

" She was trying to...she was going to MATE with me?! Is THAT what that was?!" he shouted

" What did you think it was? A game of Twister?" said Mikaela

" I thought she was just giving me some sort of comfort, affection of some sort. I didn't think it was..."

" So I'm guessing, by your tone, that you didn't have intercourse with her." asked Ratchet

" She stopped when I asked what she was doing.." he looked down at himself "...Then she kept saying sorry, and locked her bedroom door."

" She probably felt guilty that you didn't know what she was doing, and she did. She took advantage, but stopped it before it went too far." said Mikaela

" What would have happened if it went too far?" he asked slowly

Mikaela wanted to chose her words carefully here. Although he looked human, he was not one in mind. He was her uncle by paper, but he was still an alien. Anything could be taken literally, or misunderstood. And that could cause the situation to become worse. However, she had no idea how to put it in a context he could understand. She knew very little about Cybertronian biology, at least, what she learned from being around Bumblebee.

" Well, after the foreplay...I suppose you'd be together. You know a physical, spiritual bond. Connected." She wanted to slap herself here. 'Oh that was stupid.'

" I don't follow. You mean humans have an interface? Connected, like wires?" he asked, getting even more confused. 'Humans could link to each other?'

" Humans don't have wires, Megatron!" said the young yellow mech

" Then what do they have?"

Mikeala was about cut in before Bee said anything, but it was too late. ' Oi! This is going to be a long night.'

" I think they call them a vagina and a penis. I can look up some information for you on the internet really quickly on..."

" Bee...I don't think the internet it BEST place to find that. Ratchet, you're a doctor, isn't this your field of expertise?" she asked quickly

" It is, but I have not exactly studied human biology. I was expecting you to do this since you're a human yourself."

Oh my gosh, was he serious? I mean sure she **could** talk about certain things to him. But, not anything like **that**. Especially not to Megatron, she wouldn't be able to look at him straight ever again.

" I'm...a WOMAN! I can't talk to a MAN about sex!" she blushed.

" Have you not mated with Sam?"

" Well...yea. But...what do you want me to do, tell him about our time together?!"

The mechs nodded and Mikaela sighed with annoying. " I can't, that's between me and Sam only!"

" But then how do humans learn how to reproduce?" asked Bumblebee

" I don't know, usually it comes naturally to us. You could rent him some Sex ED tapes or maybe some porn I guess, maybe that will help?"

" Very well, I'll tell him." sighed the medic " But it won't be the same, it will only be based on statistics and facts."

" Better than nothing." said Mikaela, happy that she won't have to do the 'Talk'. " Bee, let's go to the corner store."

" Why?"

" Because, I have feeling there will be guy talk involved." she said " And I'm not the mood to hear about that."

Bumblebee shook his head and quickly transformed into his Camaro form and they drove off to leave the medic and Megatron.

" Where are they going?" he asked, siting down on the little garden bench in the front of her house. He groaned a bit in pain, still feeling the uncomfortable sensation of a developing erection.

" Are you injured?" asked Ratchet

" No...at least I don't think so. Is it normal to feel pain in this region?" he motioned to his crotch

" Usually not, but I can see what the problem is. That can be fixed."

" Fix it then! It's bothering me and I'm tempted to cut the darn thing off."

" Believe that won't help you in the slightest. However, this might. It's like self-induced overload. Just without the circuitry and wires."

" Whatever as long it gets rid of it."

* * *

A few minutes after wards with no sign of Mikaela or his fellow Cybertronian, Bumblebee, Ratchet sat behind the garage, just outside the garden gate to Mikaela's backyard, where Megatron went into. While Ratchet wasn't watching the whole thing, he was noting the small moans, and hitched breathing on his audio receptors, and he tracked the small twitches, and contractions that passed through Megatron's body. After awhile, his breathing quickened, his heart rate spiked, his muscles began to contract, and finally silence, followed by heavy panting.

" Feeling better?" he called to him, noting the details he recorded for future study. He hated to refer to him a lab animal, but that's basically what these tests were. His medical curiousity on another species had been of interest to him since coming to this planet. He watched the man make his way to him, looking exhausted.

" I feel sick."

" That's an unusual reaction. Most cases, note intense pleasure. It didn't help you?"

Megatron shot him a glare. Before looking down at his dirty clothes. " I'm going to go take a shower. If Mikaela arrives, tell her I don't plan to stay over anymore. I think I can speak to Maggie now."

" I'll be outside and then take you back."

" Good...Oh and Ratchet?" just before going inside the house.

" Hmm?"

" This never happened."

The medic smirked " Right."

* * *

Back at the apartment...

She felt like a heel. Here she was, allowing him to stay with her, and then her leftover, immature hormones from high school went into high gear and almost raped Megatron. And boy did that feel weird to say. "Raping...Megatron." Can those two words be used in the same sentence in that order? Either way, it had been too close for comfort. She could still replay the whole scene, every hot moment, every caress and touch...only to find out he had no clue they were about to get it on. If she had pulled off his pants, she would have mounted him faster than he could react. One article of clothing away from taking his virginity....wait...was he still a virgin?

She shook her head. Couldn't be. He was the supreme leader of the Decepticons, he had to have thousands of willing female bots in his quarters, waiting to 'plug n play'. But then again, he's human now...so does that even count anymore? Does that mean he's a virgin as a human? And why was she even thinking about such stupid things?!

' Oh Maggie...are you that desperate? How long has it been since you had a man? Two years? Four years?...you've lived alone so long, so peacefully, you can't be sex starved **now**!'

Then another horrible thought came to mind. What if Cybertronians had sex in a totally different way? What if it involved wires, plugs and connectors? What if it was **wireless**?! No wonder he was so scared! How freaked he must have been, to see her ripping off his clothes like a mad woman. He probably thought she was going to eat him or something.

But as evil, cold and calculating as he was in his former life, he seemed very unaware of female turn ons. Maybe...he didn't have a harlem of female Cybertronians at his beck and call back on his home planet. Maybe he was one of those gung-ho, workaholic types that only thought of plans and goals. They were in a war after all, they had little time to be thinking of getting laid. So in some twisted way, yes, he was a virgin. And the sad thing was...that very thought actually turned her on even **more**. She buried her head in her pillow screaming at herself.

" Oh god! It was his first time!" she said to herself " Damn it, Maggie! You insensitive harpy! After this, it'll be a miracle if he ever speaks to me again!"

Suddenly the phone rang and very nearly shot five feet in the air. It rang once again, twice..finally she hesitantly answered it.

" Megatron?"

" Wha? No! Maggie, it's me Ironhide."

" Ironhide? Oh my god, you almost scared me to death!"

" I did?! I appolgise! I meant no ill will towards your health. I had no idea you could frighten so easily."

Maggie let out a much needed giggle, especially with everything that happened just now. Leave it to an alien to take everything so literally.

" No Ironhide, I didn't mean it seriously. It's a figure of speech."

She could hear the mech sigh annoyingly on the line. " What about Megatron? Is he not with you?"

" He's not, I don't really know where he went but...."

" You do not know where he is that this time?" he roared " Why is he not with you?"

Maggie moved the phone away from her ear. " Well, I have an idea about where he is, but you see, we had an a little fight and, he sort of walked out. I'm sure he's fine though, he's probably just down the street."

" Are you certain? This is very important Maggie. I just recieved information on two Decepticons in the area."

" What? But when?"

" Just this afternoon. It's Barricade, he's in your area. I advise that you stay inside."

" Hell no! Mat..Megatron is out there, what if something happens to him?"

" I'm here to prevent that. You need not get involved."

" But.."

" Stay inside and be safe." and with that she heard a click. He hung up on her.

" Ugg! MEN!" she shouted " Doesn't matter what he says, I'm going to find Matt. He could be in danger."

She grabbed her jacket and reached for her keys...if she could find them. ' My keys...where?...Oh Matt!" Of all the times for him to take her keys by accident.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Author's Notes: Ratchet you're such a bad influence! Nah, I'm kidding. Ratchet isn't being a perv, he's just being a doctor/scientist, so naturally he'd want to study all facets of human behavior. Even the kinky ones. And don't worry, this is a one time thing, he won't be alone next time, especially if Maggie has anything to do with it. And looks like the first Decepticon is making his appearence! Barricade isn't dead, and he's got orders from none other than...well I won't ruin that part. Let's just say it's a really old, loyal friend of Megatron's.


	18. Break time!

_We interrupt this fanfic to bring you a story break!_

_This story has absolutely nothing to do with Cosmic Joke, BUT! It does have something to do with a future fic from me. My aunt Ruth, who's a huge TF fan came over and we thought of some really cool stories incorporating the new movie Revenge of The Fallen. But it's post 2nd movie. The events had passed five years in, Anabelle is six years old, and Ironhide is still protecting his human family. But! There's a twist. What would happen if something made the roles switch? I bring you this little snippet of a maybe, potential fanfic. I wrote this in five minutes at 12:59AM, June 6th 2009. That's pretty damn fast!_

* * *

He had expected a Decepticon to show up on Earth, even if it had been five years since the last attack. He had expected one to threaten humanity again, and cause devesation and chaos. He had even expected to lose his most valuable weapons during an attack, and leave him handicapped but still able to fight.

However he wasn't expecting a Deception to threaten his 'family'. The human family he adopted, protected, and cared for. It come from out of the blue, firing a shot that destoried the family farmhouse, leaving only a smidgen of ash in it's wake. He called to William to go down into the cellar of the house. To hide his family, while he would defend them. Sadly, they didn't get that chance, as the family watched in horror as their house roof was lifted up, and ripped away. Cold, clawed mechanical hands eagerly grabbing the occupants inside. Ironhide rammed into the enemy, sending the Decepticon hurling into the field, and allowing the humans to escape down the road. Only to be shot at in rage, bullets piercing into his armor. He had not known bullets that could do such damage. He roared as the enemy kept firing at him relentlessly, and he too let out a cloud of shots as well. He would win this. He would not let his family be harmed. He would not let that happen. He'd die first.

Suddenly, bright lights flooded the area, as several human vehicles approached. The Decepticon hissed and was ready to attack the humans at an given moment. Ironhide quickly assessed that the humans did not have the proper equipment to handle it. Had the fight in Qatar and Egypt taught them nothing? Stupid, foolish beings. It was up to him to stop the creature.

" No! I have him!" he screamed at the humans, but his voice fell on deaf ears as they fired. Shooting the creature into submission. The shots only managed to make it stumble back, but continue to ready an attack. A second set of people came out of the vehicles. William was one of them.

" Ironhide! Step back!" yelled William, as a barge of humans lifted their guns towards Ironhide and the Decepticon. But Will's warning came much too late. Two shots were fired. One hit the creature, but did little in making it stop. It wasn't until a few seconds later that the monster was down on it's knees, screaming as if in pain, and clawing the ground in frustration and rage. It finally fell, and it's burning red optics closed. The second shot however, missed it's target, and hit Ironhide, who he too, felt nothing at first, until a few seconds later. His alien blue optics widened, and he dropped to the ground as he spasmed in pain.

He could see the humans gathering ropes and nets to tie up the creature, but the ropes were so small. They couldn't possibly be able to lift the Deception with those. His optics shut tightly as another wave of pain surged through his body. He felt a weird sensation under his chest plates as well. A thump, thump, thump...that seemed to increase as time dragged on. He thought his spark case might have been damaged, or his energon pump had taken a hit. He'd have to get Ratchet to look at it when he felt a little more well.

He spotted William walking toward him with several familiar looking men. Their faces were stressed with expressions of guilt and worry. He moved his head to look up at his human friend. He felt the warm hand of the captain on his shoulder where the bullet entered. Some humans were studying the wound, and took note.

" Will it also...?" asked William to what looked like a doctor. The doctor simply nodded and turned away. Will opened his mouth, and then closed it before turning back to Ironhide.

" Ironhide, I'm so sorry."

" For this? Ah, I've had worse. What exactly did you shot me with? Tranquilizer?"

" Oh God I'm sorry."

" Will...?"

Ironhide's head turned quickly to the sound of a little girl. His little girl. Anabelle. She stopped short of a few feet from him, as looked down in curiously before placing her tiny hands on her mouth and gasping, then holding a small giggle in. Ironhide was glad to know she was safe. Will's wife came shortly after. Her hazel eyes wide and staring at him, before averting her gaze, and blushed.

" Mommy...Uncle Ironhide is na..." Will scooped her up his arms before she could finish.

" Come on, let's go. We will see Uncle Ironhide later." smiled Will at his little girl, holding his wife's hand tightly. Ironhide could help but smile himself, his family was safe. But he was still racked with pain, and worry. What exactly was he shot with? Why couldn't he see the Decepticon anymore? Why was everything so bright? He felt a sheet of fabric cover his body, entangling him, as two humans helped him off the ground.

" Wait...what are you...?" he started losing focus and mental clarity as he felt himself being lifted. It was a strange feeling, and he wondered how they were doing it. He wasn't exactly one of the lightest mechs in the team. All he felt was arms, human arms around his waist and under his arms. He could their skin, and strangely, the dirt beneath his feet felt rougher, and it sort of hurt. They half dragged, half walked him to some sort of bed where he was layed on. A bed he swore was much...smaller before.

He looked as quickly as he was able to his back, to see who was holding him. They were humans. Holding on him with nothing but their own strength.

" Impossible."

He felt the bed he was on, rise, and roll into a vehicle that should not have been big enough to carry him. He tried to look around him, but a small plastic face mask was put over his face by a human women. She smiled reassuringly, and held his hand in comfort. He couldn't see his hands, but he did feel her's almost cover his own. That too, was an impossible thing. Human hands were minuscule compared to a Cybertronian's. They could not wrap around his.

" Relax sir, take it easy. You're not fully changed yet." she said. He felt some sort of air fill the mask he had on, and it had a strange relaxing affect on him. So as if it was lulling him into stasis.

" Changed? Wait...what do mean?" were his last words as his world faded to black.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_Author's Note:_

_Yup, it's a Human!Ironhide fanfic, because I only saw one on here with him turning suddenly human, but the main focus was not on him. I want this to be a strictly Ironhide-centric story only. The others cameo, but they're not exactly the main focus. I planning to add a lot of "Uncle Ironhide and Anabelle" fluff. No romance. Just a little ficlet that will hopefully bring a smile to your face. Anyways, give me a hoot and holler if you think you'd like to read something like this. :D_


	19. Collateral Damage

There was no doubt he felt undeniably dirty about that whole thing. So that's what human men did to ease their sexual urges? He found it more disgusting than pleasurable. Wrapping a towel around his body, he looked for something to replace the dirty clothes that now lay into the washing machine. At least, that's what he thought it was, he wasn't too sure. Mikaela had not really explained a whole lot to him about the various devices in the household. But he couldn't be bothered by that, he searched the area for anything resembling clothing. He found nothing in Mikaela's room(nothing a 'male' could use), nor any other room in the house. He had since regretted having run off from Maggie's apartment. All his brand new clothes were back there, but he couldn't walk there as he was. More likely he'd get arrested before he reached her home. That's when, he spotted the forbidden closed door that Mikaela had warned him about. He wasn't allowed in there but...it was the last place to look for anything decent. He was desperate.

A sharp shock hit him when he opened the door. He wasn't supposed to be in here. Mikaela had strictly said this place was off-limits to him and everyone. Dust met his nostrils, as the door opened revealing it's interior. An old made up king sized bed was in the far corner, as well a wooden night stand, a old scratched dresser and a full length mirror. He careful stepped inside, he was only here for some spare clothes, nothing more. He'd only grab them and go. He saw a few in the open drawers, and quickly gathered some he liked. He then headed for the door and out of the forbidden room. But his sight wandered toward the nightstand, to a picture of three people. He stared at it, and noticed a little girl, no more than ten or so, her arms wrapped around two adult humans. A man and woman. Upon closer inspection, he saw that girl was Mikaela. He found himself smiling. She looked so young, so fragile. How interesting, that humans grow as they age. Cybertronians only upgrade from protoforms, they essentially had no childhood. Humans were lucky creatures.

He looked again, and noticed that the man in the picture...was her father. He felt an uneasiness and set down the picture frame on it's stand. He turned around and almost yelped, as he saw his own reflection in the mirror behind him. His easiness increased in the dark. This room, these clothes...this house, this family...Mikaela...they were not his. They belonged to her father, where-ever he was. Looking back at the picture, he felt a strong unusual feeling. It was akin to what he felt when his brother had something he wanted. A kind of...jealously. But why?

A loud honk outside alerted him of ratchet waiting.

" Megatron! Come out quickly! Hurry!" shouted the medic, a panic in his voice. Megatron knew there was something wrong, and quickly changed into the new clothes, and went outside.

" What is it now, Autobot?" he huffed, looking around but seeing nothing. No Ratchet, nothing but silence...but something made the hair on the back of his neck stand up.

" Ratchet?"

Suddenly, he fell over as he saw two mechs wrestle each other on the street. One was Ratchet and one was a Decepticon. He recognized the Decepticon as Barricade. Although, at first, he didn't recognize the coloring. Ratchet tugged the mech to the ground, and slammed it's face into the ground. Barricade quickly overcame him, and threw the medic against a nearby wall, successfully destroying it. Ratchet turned to Megatron, kicking the cop mech off.

" Go now! Hide yourself, don't let him see you! Go!"

For once Megatron took some advice, and hid behind the garden gate, away from the two mechs. He could see Barricade was res pirating heavily, his systems was overheating, as if he had been without days of recharge and energy. He was surprised the mech was still standing with the signals his body was giving out.

" What do you want with me Decepticon?" roared ratchet, his two rotating saws ready to slice through the police car.

The Decepticon's weapons were blazing. He opened his mouth and spoke in the native Cybertronian tongue.

" I come to retrieve my leader, Megatron. Where have you hidden his body! Talk now, and I will make your death quick!"

" He is in the Laurentian Abyss, he has been crushed by the cold pressure of this world's seas. He is dead!"

Megatron cringed, he was NOT dead.

" Lier! I still sense his spark on this pit forsaken planet. Where is he!? Soundwave has given me orders to bring him back!"

Megatron's eyes widened. Soundwave? His most loyal in command? He was sent to retrieve him? Oh thank Primus! He smiled, opened the gate and revealed himself, waving his arms.

" Barricade!" Matt called out " I'm here!"

Barricade and Ratchet's optics swerved right in his direction. The lumbering police car began to walk toward him, Ratchet struck him in the shoulder to distract him.

" Slag it! I said to get out of here!"

Barricade simply threw the Medic aside, causing him to crash into a nearby car. The alarm went off, and died when Ratchet crushed it silent. He watched as Barricade continued to make his way to Megatron, weapons slightly raised. Ratchet panicked. Oh why wasn't Megatron running? Didn't he know that Barricade didn't recognize him anymore? Did he forget he was a human? Even if he tried to stop Barricade now, he was already too close for comfort. One swipe of his claw, and he would be dead.

" You..." the giant black mech crouched next the man who called out to him. He only went so far as to study him, and get a decent look at the human. Something about him, triggered something in Barricade. There was a faint 'fingerprint' to this human that seemed so familiar.

" You have a familiar energy. Who are you?" asked Barricade.

Megatron was reluctant to anwser straight away. If he just blurted out he was Megatron, the leader of the Decepticons. He'd be nothing but a bloody pancake on the street. He had to think of something that Barricade would recognize. But what? He reeled back when the police car raised a pulsing laser cannon to his face. He could feel the sickening heat of the laser that threatened to vaporize him on the spot.

'Hurry!' he thought ' Think of something!'

" Answer me insect! Who are you?!" roared a very impatient Barricade

Megatron, stood firm, as he would have when speaking to his army and spoke in Cybertronian, a particular dialect only spoken by one other. His brother. It was the language of the Primes. And while he knew he couldn't speak particular sounds and clicks of the elaborate language in his human form. He made it understandable, that he was, who he said he was.

"_ I am Megatron, leader of the Decepticons. And as such, I command you stand down and bow before me."_

Ratchet was in shock as the Decepticon lowered his weapon and dropped on his knees, as if in prayer. It was a strange sight to see, but he wasn't going to enjoy it, as a familiar honk came from behind him. It was Ironhide, who spotted Barricade and immediately transformed, ready to charge. Megatron stood between them.

" Enough! I have given him an order!"

" Out of my way, Megatron! That mech is scrap metal!"

Obviously, Ironhide was going to make the situation worse. Megatron continued to stand between the two. He reverted back to the English language.

" **Stand down**!"

" What right do **you** have to order **me**!?"

" I may not be Cybertronian anymore, nor an Autobot, but I am still Lord high Protector of Cybertron!" said Megatron

" Lord high...? You gave up that title the moment you slaughtered thousands of innocent..."

" Ironhide! He is right. Not because of his rank, but because Barricade has stood down, do the same for once. Perhaps we can now speak rationally for a change."

" Have you scrambled your circuits, mech? He's a **Decepticon**!"

Barricade huffed, looking up from his bow to sneer at the Autobots.

" My lord, may I rise so I can beat this insolent sparkling into the ground?"

" I'd like to see you** try**!" yelled Ironhide

Megatron raised his hand. This would go nowhere if they fought. Right now, he needed important information regarding his followers. He had to know who was in charge, and where they were no located.

" No, you may not. But I do want to know where Soundwave is."

" He is awaiting around the human's leader's place of rule."

" Washington? Smart idea."

" He thought you would say that. My lord...forgive me for asking this of you but...why are you human?"

Megatron cringed. He knew he was going to have to anwser that question soooner or later. Might as well give the curious mech what he desired.

" The Allspark's idea of a practical joke, but that doesn't matter anymore. I need to know, who is in charge of the Decepticons at present?"

" Why, your most trusted of the Decepticons, My lord."

" Who?"

" Soundwave, of course."

Megatron let out a sigh of relief. Thanks Primus for that. The whole thing wasn't so messy after all.

" Barricade, I need you to take me to him. It's a matter of great importance."

" **What!?**" roared the truck mech " **You will do no such thing!**"

" I can and I will! I'm doing this for all of us."

" If you do you'll be killed! They don't recognize you as their leader anymore!" said Ironhide

A blast rang from Barricade's cannons, straight as Ironhide's head. He dodged it and missed it, as it hit a wall nearby.

" Speak another blasphemous word of my lord again, and I will blow a hole through your central processor!"

" Stand down! I need a word with the Autobot scum before I depart with you. You are to wait over there until I return, understood?" commanded Megatron

Barricade shook his head. " There is no time! I must return you to Sounwave at once!"

" Barricade no...give me time! I have to think about this before I..."

Suddenly, Bumblebee and Mikaela sped into street that the mech were, where she jumped out, and he transformed ready to fight.

" You're late kid." said Ironhide

" Better late than never. Where's Megatron?"

" Where do you **think**?" motioned Ironhide towards Megatron's direction " Doesn't surprise me you'd still side with your fellow Decepti-creeps.

" I have my reasons...and for once it's not just for myself. This involves you all."

" Megs...what are you doing?" asked a female voice

He turned to the frightened girl, and gave her a reassuring look. " Mikaela, I have to go with him. I need to talk to my army and the current one in command."

" No you can't! What about Sam? What about Maggie!?"

Maggie! She was right...he still needed to talk to her. If only he had more time, he could make it up to her somehow. But he had to go with Barricade, and he had to speak to Soundwave. It must be known that he, their leader was still alive. If there was a way, he could get the Decepticons to leave Earth in peace, and Maggie would be safe.

" Tell her I'll return to her. After I discuss some matters with my army."

" You won't take him!" said Ratchet, standing in front of Barricade " He is under our watch."

" Ratchet! you're ruining everything!" shouted Megatron

Barricade's red optics glowed a fierce red, as he eyed his foe. He stepped back, only to lean in...

" If you don't give him to me...." said the cop car, as he turned to Mikaela and grabbed her and his claws formed a cage around her body.

" Mikaela!" shouted Megatron " Let her go! The child isn't who you're after!"

" You have until tomorrow's last solar cycle to hand over my leader, before I crush this insect into a **bloody pulp**!" he growled, tightening his grip on the girl.

" Noo! Let her go!" he screamed

And with that he tossed her body into the air, transformed and caught her in his cab, speeding away. Her cries filling the air, and all who were present. Bumblebee was ready to go after him, but Ratchet stopped him. There as nothing they could do. Megatron's fingers curled through the gate he was looking through, as his body slumped down. He took her...he took Mikaela. The only femme who ever truly made him feel at home on this miserable planet. The one who taught him humanity for the first time. It seemed so unreal, and yet.....His eyes glared at the three Autobots standing there. He slammed his fists into Ratchet's ankle, doing nothing but causing a clang sound with every hit.

" **Why!?** Why didn't you let me go! They took her because of **you!**"

" If they had you back, they could...turn you back." said Ratchet, not wanting to face him.

" What?" he asked, looking at the medic in confusion

" Megatron...there's something that I failed to tell you during my examination. You see...your body..is...could be reverting back to it's original form."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Author's notes:

La gasp! They took Miss Chesty McBoobs!...I mean...Mikaela. Hey it was about time something tragic happened in this fic right? This is it! How will the Autobots and Megatron get back Mikaela from the Decepticons? And what lies in store for her at their base? And Megatron is reverting back to his Cybertronian form! How long will it take before he's no longer human anymore? What will Maggie say to this? Why am I asking so many questions? XDD Tune in next chapter!

Writing this, I left a few things open for interpretation. The whole jealous feeling, the protectiveness of Mikaela...? Could it be Megs might have developed some fatherly instincts for the girl? Who knows? It's up to you guys how far you want to speculate about it. I personally think it's sweet and just in time for Father's Day.


	20. Fearing the Dawn

" Will?" asked a groggy Sarah Lennox, laying on a large king bed. " Will? Where are you going?"

" I got a call from some of the "local authorities" that there's been a "disturbance" in Tranquility."

" At 4 in the morning?!" she growled

Will tied his left shoe, and bent down to kiss his wife on the forehead. " I'll make it up to you. See you later."

" Be careful Will, and make sure you don't wake the baby."

" I will, and no, I won't wake her."

She smiled sleepily, and then both jumped when they heard a loud "thwoop thwoop thwoop" sound right outside their home. Groggily, Mrs. Lennox got up and went to the window of their bedroom, only to be greeted with two large black helicopters, one of them was already landing just a few steps away from their front porch.

": Oh what on Earth...are they insane?!" she yelled

" Aw geez...I told them to park a mile off, not on the property!" he said, leaping to his feet and towards the front door.

" Get those idiots out of here!" she yelled, and went into the next room to calm down a now crying Anabelle." It's ok sweety...it's just a plane..." she cooed.

William pulled on his jacket, and angrily went outside to see a man in a business suit approach him from the helicopter, holding a briefcase, and fiddling around with a few papers that looked important.

" William Lennox." said the man, looking up at a paper, then up Will, as if checking to see if this was the right man to talk to.

" Yea. that's me."

" I'm going to need you to come with us, there's been..."

" I know. I heard. I'm going, just get this piece of crap off my property, you're scaring my kid."

The business man peeked over Will's shoulder to see an angry woman holding a small little girl in her arms. He looked back at Will nervously.

" I apologize, however, this is a matter of national security. Two rouge NBEs were just discovered in the southern district of the city of..."

" Decepticons."

" Huh?"

" Not NBEs, they have a name, and it's Decepticons. And right now, I have a feeling about what they're after."

* * *

Time seemed to stand still that moment, that second...then the next second was a blur. He was willing to go with Barricade, it would have been fine, everything would have gone fine...but instead he was denied and in turn, the life of one of the first humans that befriended him was facing a grave fate. He would not have cared if it had been some other human, but that 'one', the girl, Mikaela...it was unforgivable. Deceptions were anything but good hosts, and the girl would suffer greatly the longer she stayed with them. Her life was on the line, and these slagging Autobots had been to blame. And to add insult to injury, he learned his body was under going a metamorphosis that he wasn't even aware of.

" What do you mean I'm turning back?" he spat at the Medic, already tired of how things were going.

" Exactly as I said. You're returning to your old form, or more like...becoming Cybertronian again. Which explains why Barricade could pick you out so easily."

" Prime did the same thing, he recognized my energy signature."

" Because he's your brother and the only living relative you have. I couldn't pick up your energy the first time I saw you, and neither could Ironhide or Bumblebee. Your recent heat stroke wasn't just due to the heat either, it was due to a molecular imbalance. Your cells are changing, and excellerated when you were in the presence of another Decepticon. So if we let you go with him..."

" The process would have increased, I'd would regain my true form, and you all thought I'd turn against you given the chance." said Megatron, crossing his arms angrily

" When you put it that way, yes." said Ratchet flatly

" You selfish pieces of slag!" he yelled " You're risking the life of a human over me? I thought you protected humans!?"

" There was nothing we could do, it was too fast and unpredictable." said Ironhide " The girl would have been seriously harmed if we intervened at that second."

" Unpredictable my aft! You blatantly refused custody of me to Barricade, and now the girl's life is danger! Does that not mean anything to you?!"

" Since when did you care about the life of a human being, when only three days ago, you were trying to kill the entire race?" asked Bumblebee

" That was different!"

" Different how? You almost killed Sam, you were going to destroy this planet! Just like you did Cybertron!"

" I did not destroy our planet! It was Optimus Prime who sent the Allspark into space, and that eventually led the planet to die!"

" It wouldn't have died so quickly if you hadn't tried to gain it's power for evil and kill half of our race!"

" Maybe I should have killed YOU then!" he growled at the little yellow mech

Ironhide raised his cannons to Megatron, but the man didn't back down, his reddish eyes only stared into the fierce blue eyes of the weapons specialist.

" Shoot me then. Little good that would do, for you or Mikaela. Have you ever thought of the possibility that given the chance of returning to my true form, I may *not* turn against you? That I would take my army off-world at the first sign if day break? I want out of this body, this planet, and this solar system jsut as much as you do."

" We can't trust you." said Bumblebee " After all those centuries, you think we can just let you go? You must think we're really stupid. What made you change your mind so quickly?"

" Being human...my point of view has changed, my goals had to change with it...but my dream is still there. I will find a way to revive Cybertron once more, but first...the girl must be saved. Or have I overestimated your loyalty to these flesh creatures?"

" I will get Mikaela back, without you!" said Bumblebee

" Then she will die for sure. You all know you've made a grave mistake, now own up to it. The only way to save her is to trust me, but if you want her die, then don't. But keep in mind, your leader Optimus will be more than sorely disappointed with your poor choice."

" He's right, we don't have much of a choice. It's his life against her's." said Ratchet

" I want to save her. I don't want to lose Mikaela because of this glitch." said Bumblebee

" I'm still hesitant. Megatron will no sooner return to his proper form, and murder the girl at first chance." said Ironhide

" I would not! She's my niece!" he shouted, then suddenly clasping his hands around his mouth. Did he actually say that? It seemed tonight, was saying a lot of things that surprised him. " Not that she's anything that special to me."

" Mm hm....I won't question you anymore. Seems you have a valid reason this time around." said Ironhide

" Don't read anything into it."

" I'm trying not to. But I'm keeping a close optic on you anyways. If you try anything, I sware I'll rip open your chassis and forge it into an paperweight for the President of the United States. And I'm sure he'll think rather highly of the gift."

" Don't do me any favors Ironslag."

Ironhide was about retort, but he was caught off guard by the sound of "Thrwoop thrwoop thrwoop" from two black helicopters preparing to land in front of them. All four beings watched as the copters touched down to the earth, and several soldiers jumped off, along with a familar looking man, who Ironhide recognized immediately, looking out the helicopter window.

" Ok, clear the area of bystanders, explain the situation and all that jazz. Lennox, you know what to do." said the business man.

William climbed out the helicopter and surveyed the area, followed by his friend Epps who was on the same team as him. They weren't sure what to expect when they were called to apprehend Megatron, who was suppost to be a human man. But if their previous experience taught them well, they might just have a fight on their hands, but first things first. To find the guy he was to hold and transport him to Hoover Dam.

" Is there a....Matthew Banes here?" said Lennox

Megatron took awhile to recognize that name as his own, and responded, causing Will to look taken aback, and then proceed to eye Megatron up and down in absolute awe. As if he couldn't believe his eyes that this man was once Megatron, the very creature that was suppost to have died upon merging with the Allspark. He didn't look al that intimadating at all. he was expecting so beefy, macho guy who's give him a run for his money. Not a old man.

" Damn...you really do look human." said the captain " That's just unreal, you don't look anything like yourself."

" Way to state the obvious," he growled,

" Well um...Megatron...or Matthew or whatever you go by now, you're under arrest, and will be escorted to Hoover Dam by yours truly, and if need be...I can get rough. So I wouldn't try anything if I were you, especially in your condition."

Megatron backed away from him, but backed right into another solider who held him from the back. He struggled with the solider and kicked him, but was held on to Will next, who was a bit stronger.

" Let go of me, human!!!" he roared " You don't know what you're doing!"

" Captain Lennox, wait! Let us explain the situation." shouted Bumblebee

" I'm sorry, but I...have my orders. You're all expected to come, so...you can explain there. I'm really sorry about all this,"

" It's understandable." said Ironhide " Let us go, Optimus has informed me that he will be with us at the Dam some time this afternoon."

" Great. Ok, let's go." he pushed Matt towards the helicopter, and inside where several other soldiers were ready to hold him down.

" I'm not going anywhere with you! Release me!" shouted Megatron, who then turned to the robots in rage " You Autobots are in on this, we had a deal! You don't care for the girl!"

" Girl? What girl?" asked Epps, as he cuffed Megatron.

" Mikaela Banes!" he shouted

" You're um...*niece*? What happened?" asked Will

" She was..kidnapped. By Barricade." said Bumblebee

" Shit, are you serious?! I thought that guy was scrap metal.." asked Epps

" I'm afraid it's true. The girl is in serious trouble if she's not found in time. Barricade is waiting to make an exchange, her life, for his." explained Ratchet

" You didn't let him go with Barricade because..?" asked Will

" Because Megatron is in the process of reverting back into his original form."

" Right now?!" asked Will, looking at Matt questionably.

" It's a slow process, however, it will excellerate if around his fellow Decepticons."

" Great....And you don't where she's being held?" asked Will

" No, but it can't be too far away from the city. However, it could be in any direction, even in the mountains." said Ratchet

Ratchet had genuine worry on his metal face. And cuing in on this, Will knew that he didn't want to think about the worst case scenario. The small silence was broken when Megatron spoke up from his slumped position against the helicopter's chair

" ...I can get that information." said Megatron " But you have to let me contact my army on your network."

" Oh hell no, don't trust him. He's the Iceguy right? The big iceman that almost killed us? I'm not trusting him." said Epps

" Yea, why should we trust you?" asked Will

Megatron cringed when he heard the word 'Ice'. He remembered all too well those cold, frozen centuries in a block of ice, millions of two legged creatures scurried around, while he was not able to call for help. Trapped for what seemed forever. But that fate wasn't nearly as bad as what Mikaela would face.

" If they know I'm alive, I could buy some time. I could..order them to release her."

William pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance " This is going to be a quite a day."

The helicopters' blades soon spun, and with that, Matt, Will and the rest of his team were up in the air, followed by the Autobots to Hoover Dam. They all knew it would be morning by the time they arrived, and by that time it would be too late for the girl. William decided to make a move that just might get him fired.

" Change of plans men. We're going to Vern Base on the outskirts of the city."

" What? But Will..Keller..."

" Is just gonna have to wait for his guest." he said looking at Matt " Are you sure you'll be able to contact the Decepticons."

" If your technology isn't that primitive, I just might."

" Why are you helping the Autobots."

" For reasons of my own, human."

William glared at him for some time before nodding, and accepting that anwser for now. Whatever this guy had planned, he didn't know. He'd have to cross that bridge when he got there, it seemed. Keller was definitely going to have his head for this. But then again, a civilian's life, a civilian that helped save the planet, was much more important right now. If experience in troops taught him anything, was that a soldier never left a man behind, and had their back. Even if said "man" was a young girl.

" You do realize you're taking the blame for this, right?" asked Will to Matt

Matt smiled " What do I have to lose?"

" Your freedom."

" So be it." he said. For Mikaela's sake, it was well worth it. He had lost Maggie, lost his identity, lost the Allspark. Not much else to lose really. Yet still, his heart ached for Maggie, it tugged at him to speak to her, to see her...to hold her. But after what happened, he was sure she didn't want anything to do with him. He hurt her, and she left him. No other thing left to do, except to move on. But that in itself, as he soon found out, was unbearably painful.

* * *

Mikaela sat in a cold room with a broken window that served as an opening for the Decepticon's claws to reach her. The other windows were boarded, the door sealed shut from the outside with a quick laser blast, courtesy of Barricade. She would have tried to escape out the window with tied up sheets, if she's wasn't on the 3rd story and only had two sheets, and the fact there was not a single living human being for miles. Just a stretch of road reaching across an unforgiving desert. Her eyes were raw from crying, and she shivered under the blankets that she could find on a dirty mattress. She felt herself going to sleep, but was too scared to, for fear she'd be killed.

She heard the loud feet of her captor walking outside the building, then saw a large clawed finger poke through the window of the room. She didn't see his face, but she saw something drop from his claws, and on to the table. It looked like a broken radio of some sort, but soon she realized this radio was....moving. She sat up, watching intently as the radio shifted, and bended to form a creature. One she thought she had killed not too long ago. The four lights moved in her direction in the dark, and she quickly got up and grabbed anything she could to throw at it. It walked slowly towards her, chittering in some strange language, and finally one word of English.

" Ssssquish-y?"

" Get the fuck away from me!" she yelled

" Nononononono!" it cried " Foo-d! Eat! Yum!"

She watched it skittered down the table with the speed of a cat, with a paper bag of something in it's toothy mouth. She smelled it, and recognized it to be a baked a potato. Her stomach growled, but she didn't want to anything from a Decepticon. She raised a broken table leg she managed to find and was ready to knock the little freak out of the window like a softball. She didn't trust him, and she wouldn't. That thing almost killed Sam, and no doubt it had the same intentions for her.

" Not want f-food? Hungry! Eat!" it said in a quick fast tone

" Go away! I don't want anything from you! It's probably poisoned!"

" Squish-y...s-add?"

" Like you would care. I'm your prisoner, and you guys are going to kill me. Well they'll come for me! And when they do the Autobots are going to kick your asses!"

" Eat..." it raised the bag to her

" I don't want it! Leave me alone!" she yelled, still holding the table leg raised.

" Eh....me eat t-then. Not w-waste."

" Knock yourself out." she said flatly

And with that, he took the steamed tuber from the plastic package and put it to what looked liked his mouth, and tried to eat it. It didn't work, and he ended up dribbling sour cream and chives over his thin body. He hissed, and sputtered some incoherent sentence that made him sound like a drunk, pissed off modem.

" S-stupid squishy food!!"

She couldn't help but smile at his pathetic attempt to eat. What was it about robots and food? Did they not eat some sort of food on their planet, or was it truely an alien concept? She hesitantly walked over to the little creature, and watched his four blue eyes follow her. She took the potato from his clawed hands, and bit into it. She was surprised to know it didn't taste like poison, but then again, she didn't know. This could very well be her last meal if she wasn't careful.

" You eat it like this." and took another bite. " See?"

" S-squishy eat funny."

" That's how we eat and by the way, my name is Mikaela, not "squishy"." she explained

" M-M-Miiika-La!" his voice mimicked that word as if he was singing it. " Mi-ka-la!"

"Close enough." she mused. For an evil robot, she had to admit, he was rather cute when he wasn't...you know, trying to kill you. She didn't trust him, but she was thankful that he gave her some food. At least he was concerned about her, unlike her captor who probably didn't care if she died or not. Maybe, like Megs, he wasn't all bad. Just misguided. But how much was she willing to bet on that theory. With Megs, it might have just been pure luck. However, she was willing to try to befriend this creature, in hopes he might help her escape.

". What about you? Is your name Spazzybot?"

" F-Frenzy!" he quickly replied, and his optic lit up like he was genquely pleased with himself.

" Fitting name. You know...not be rude but..why are your eyes blue? Like an Autobot?"

Frenzy let out a hiss at that word and threw the plastic and paper bag at her as he skittered across the room, eyes glowing with an icy rage.

" Not Au-to-bot!!! S-scum! Hate!!!" he spat at her, his claws extended ready to attack.

" Whoa! Whoa!" she raised her hands in defense. He looked about ready to tear her face off.

" Ugly s-stupid s-quishy!!"

" Hey, look, I'm sorry ok? I didn't say you were, I just thought...you know, you're eyes are a different color. It's an innocent question."

She heard a low growl from him, as his arms and blades fell and his optics dimmed. Being around Bumblebee, Mikaela could recognize sadness in the robots, even this one. She watched his little head look down a bit as he replied.

" D-diff-er-ent. Always. Not be-long. C-con-fused."

" Different? What do you mean, confused?" she asked. He was confused about not belonging? Or was it something else?

Suddenly;y both turned to the window as a glowing red eye appeared, like a small raging fire.

" Frenzy! Where the slag are you!?"

" B-b-b-barricade...g-give food to Miii-ka-la! Now fed!" said Frenzy, crawling toward the larger mech hesitantly.

" If you were finished, then why didn't you return as I ordered?" roared Barricade

" S-s-orr-y. Miii-ka-la talk. C-curious."

" What was that?" he spat

" S-s-orry!"

" What is a Mi-ka-la?"

" H-hum-an n-name! Her! She!" he pointed to Mikaela, as he walked to the window's ledge

" Why should you care about her name? She's an insect! A germ! Go outside and contact Soundwave, tell him we've found our leader!" he roared, swatting the tiny Decepticon from the ledge, sending him to the ground outside.

" Uhn!" he cried, hopping out of the bushes slightly, holding one of his tiny arms.

" Stop bulling him! He was just talking to me! There' no harm in that!" shouted Mikaela.

Barricade put a clawed hand inside the room, and flicked her on the leg roughly. She gasped in pain, and held her knee, which was now bleeding through her jeans. She glared him with every bit of hatred she could muster through her tearing eyes.

" Cease your crying fleshing. I was gentle. Next time, I will aim for your head!"

Frenzy looked up at the window that the girl was in forlornly from his small post in front of the blue glowing screen of a stolen laptop. He hadn't meant for her to get hurt. If anyone needed a beating, it was him. He wanted to thank her for sticking up for him, as no one had ever done that before. But at the same time, he couldn't. Because of what he was. A decepticon, a spy, a hacker, a lackey. Nothing more. However, even that confused him. A ping from the laptop caught his attention for a second, and a screen of his current leader, Soundwave, appeared.

" S-soundwave, it's Frenzy! Meg-a-tron found! E-ex-c-change of hu-man hostage for Meg-a-tron in next solar c-cycle!"

" Excellent work, Frenzy. Stage two can begin. Relay this information to Barricade."

" Y-yes sir!"

The screen disappeared and he shut down the computer for the night. He scampered towards Barricade on the far side of the building.

" B-Barricade, Soundwave say "S-stage two can b-begin!"."

" Good to know, can we kill the fleshling now?" he growled

Frenzy never got a anwser from Sounwave on that, but he didn't want the girl to get killed either. After all, she kind of...intrigued him in some odd way. She was scared of him, but at the same time, she stuck up for him. He would have gotten much worse than a broken arm if she hadn't mouthed off. He owed her at least a small amount of safety, right? So what could he do? He lied.

" No, save for now. Be ready to....to...ex-change. Must b-be....good h-health."

" Still? I thought she was no longer important."

" Is too! S-soundwave say! Follow order!"

" Okay, okay...if she is to be to be in good health for the exchange, then she needs to recharge, or whatever humans do. I hope you cna manage that without mess it up," and with that he lifted up the tiny mech to the window and hopped down into the room. At first he didn't find Mikalea, but as his night vision kicked in, he spotted her heat signature. She was huddled on the dirty mattress, her back against the headboard and her head in on her drawn knees. He chirped slightly as a kind of call, and saw her head rise up to see him. Her eyes were dripping clear liquid and she called to him.

" Frenzy..."

" Mi-ka-la, hurt?" he asked, careful to not scare her. He wasn't sure how Barricade's sudden lash of anger might have affected her. She was a human after all, and all humans were unpredictable and savage.

" I'll be ok." she said in a whispery voice, but her tone and face said something else. Frenzy didn't have the ability to scan for pain, nor the information to gauge how badly she was hurt. All he could go by was her physical cues. And she looked like she was in a lot of pain. He spotted a strange dark red stain on her leg, a knee...as they called it. It was leaking. Leaking in humans was bad, especially the dark red fluid. He had seen that fluid many times since coming to this planet, and it almost always lead to death. He panicked a bit.

" Mi-ka-la die? Go away?"

She shook her head. Smiling through her tears, she was glad she had someone, even a Decepticon worry about her. She didn't feel so alone in this place, where it was. She watched him crawl up the side of the bed, those electric blue eyes not taking their sight off her. She could see him holding his broken arm and felt a pang of pity for him. She wondered how much abuse he had to put up with, and yet he was still a Decepticon.

" I won't die. Not from this no, he'll have to try harder, because I'm not easy to kill. I have to keep alive, they'll find...me..." her voice wavred slightly

He sat next to her, and she placed a hand on him.

" I'm...not afraid. I'll be found." she said, her eyes tearing up again, her voice quivering

Frenzy watched the human girl shake, and her body finally laying on her side, gasping loudly, followed by muffled cries on the pillow below her.

" Oh god, I miss Sam. I'm so scared!" she cried. Her body shaking with each muffled cry and sniff.

Frenzy had no idea what to do or say. He didn't understand what that fluid was, why it was leaking, but he did understand her fear. That was one thing, the only thing, he could truely relate to. If this leaking was a sign of fear, he wondered if the humans he had killed, leaked as well. He sat on the edge of the bed, and watched this human act of fear from afar. There was so much he didn't understand about this race, but then again there was a surprising amount of similarities that he did understand. After awhile, the girl stopped shaking, and he leaned in to see if the girl was still functioning. She was, but she was in stasis. He crawled off the bed hesitantly, and made his way to the window.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Author's notes:

Soundwave is the current Decepticon leader here. Why not Starscream? There's a reason for this, but that will be revealed next chapter. I hope this one didn't make you guys too depressed. If it did I'm sorry. :( I promise, the next one won't be as sad.

Another note....I just got back to this and saw I had over 68 comments? 0_0 OMG! And to top it off, I had of my favorite author, Hearts Of Eternity do a review! A freakin review and she liked it! I didn't think it was possible! I thought I was gonna cry, I'm not worthy! Lotte, if you gave her a link, I would kiss you on the spot, I swaer to god! *edit* I realize she put a link of it on her fanart for me. You seriously rock girl! Can't wait to see what you come up with next! You're one of the most amazing artists I know. Go see what she did on my profile!

I also want to thank Ledcidre for her insightful comments. I'm so glad you enjoy it, because I totally enjoy writing it! I won't give up on this, and I have a pretty clear view on how this story will end. But I'm not telling. XP

Terramouser07- Thanks for the critque. I'll try to go slower on Maggie and Megatron's relationship and flesh it out more. And this chapter is filled with drama, so you won't disappointed.:D

RzSpeeder- Thank so much for the brainstorm! You really got my juices flowing, and I can't wait till I get to use some of the ideas we came up with! Thank you so much!

And to everyone else, thanks so much! I enjoy reading every comment and review!:D


	21. Consequences

Maggie had made it to Mikaela's home, thankful the girl lived so close by. If you counted half a mile as close anyways. Even thought she was young, and fit, she was not the athletic type. No, in her opinion she fared much better in front of a computer, where she analyzed data, and did research on alien languages. That's where she shined and worked her magic. She wasn't used to walking so much, and was upset to know that no taxi service was open at 4 in the morning in her area. Of all the luck. Still, in the back of her mind, this was all for a reason. She needed to talk to Megatron and apologize to him. It wasn't so much his fault that he got her....hot and bothered, but her fault that she took full advantage of it.

" He's not human, Maggie!" she thought to herself " Not in mind anyways. Get that through you're thick skull! Of course he got freaked out when you jumped him. Any alien unfamiliar with humans is going to be."

But then why was he giving affection back? Was it on instinct? Did he somehow acquire human male instincts? Or was it simply mimicking? After all, his race is one of the best natural mimics she'd ever seen. They're very way of life was to imitate another species, in this case, inanimate objects. She wouldn't be surprised he'd pick up a few things from the television and try them on her. Maggie stopped and blushed. Then mentally scolded herself.

_'No! Keep walking!'_

She got to Mikaela's front door, and knocked on it gently. She hoped they were not already asleep, although there was a strong possibility they were. If no one answered, she'd leave and come back in the morning so she could wake him up for the meeting at Hoover Dam. After all, he had her keys, and she needed them back in order to drive to the airport.

" Hello?" she called, pushing her hand on the front door, and realized it gave away. It was unlocked. A chill ran through her. Uneasily, she walked inside, and noticed a small pile of clothes, and recognized them as Matt's things. She looked around the bathroom area thinking he was taking a shower (again), but she found it was empty.

' He couldn't have walked out naked.' she thought ' He has to be here somewhere.'

" Mikaela? Matt? Anyone here?" she called out. Nothing but silence answered her back. She was officially scared now. The place looked like it was shuffled around a bit, little glimpses of hurried behavior. Did something happen? Her thoughts turned to what Ironhide had said before. There was Decepticons in the area. And while this place wouldn't even exist if Decepticons had gotten a hold of it, she had a strong feeling that she wasn't supposed to be here. She was in danger. She backed out, and walked outside, flipped open her phone and was momentarily blinded by a strong light.

" You there! Come out of there! This is a restricted zone!" called a voice. " Put your cell phone on the ground and step away for the porch, hands over your head!" shouted a loud male voice.

It was a solider, standing by what seemed to be three large vans and several other soldiers coming out. This proved to her that something happened, or was going to happen. She complied and put her phone on the ground, and walked away from the house with her arms held high.

" I'm sorry." she said, trying to focus her sight against the bright spotlights on her.

" Who are you?" he asked her, leading her to the small group of black vans.

" My name is Maggie. Maggie Madson, I work with AF1, and the NBEs." she said. hopping they knew what she was talking about. Luckily it did, because the man's eyes lit up and ushered her toward one of the vans.

" You say you work with them? Can I see your ID please?" he questioned

" I know her. I saw her on base. You're that analyst right?" said a younger solider with headphones.

Maggie nodded quickly " Yes!"

" Still, she's not suppose to be here. Escort her into the van, and check her background just in case." ordered the man

" You're quite the trustful one." she said sarcastically

" This way ma-am." said the younger man. At least he was more polite that the older one.

She was about to step inside the large, black van, but suddenly in the corner of her eye, she noticed a familiar red, blue flamed semi truck make it's way near the driveway of Mikaela's home. Maggie smiled. It was Optimus! Now she could get somewhere instead of being stuck talking to someone trained to simply detain her.

" Sir, Optimus Prime just arrived." said one of the other men in the van.

" Good, have him park out of view." said the younger man, not noticing that Maggie had just lept out and was running towards the large Autobot.

" Optimus!" she shouted, waving a arm in the air to get the mech's attention.

" Hey hey hey! Ma-am! You're going to need to come with me!" shouted the younger man, running after her. He stopped misway, as he watched the Autobot transform into his full height. Optimus looked down at the two humans. The male wasn't familiar, but the female one definitely was. However, it seemed the female looks distressed, and was being chased after by the male.

" Ma'am, I need to come with me. Im really sorry, Optimus...Prime...sir." stuttered the solider

" No wait! I need to tell him something important!" she shouted " Let go!"

Optimus' optics lit up " Let her speak, solider." he commanded in a firm but gentle way. The man immediately backed off from Maggie, who brushed herself off from the scuffle.

" Thanks." she told him "Wow, am I glad to see you!"

" As am I. I was called here on short notice about my brother being taken into custody by the government. Is he here?" questioned Optimus

" I don't know. I haven't seen him, but I do need to talk to him. We...had a misunderstanding."

Optimus' optics lit up " What kind of misunderstanding?"

" I...can't really say it here in front of everyone." she said looking at the other soldiers coming toward her. She whispered to Optimus. " _It's kind of personal_."

Optimus knew what she was talking about, thanks to Ratchet's previous talk about Megatron and Maggie's....relationship. He could only guess what it would be about.

" All I know is that I need to talk to him, before he winds up hating me for good." she said

" I see. You there, solider!" said Optimus, the younger man that was attending to Maggie before shot up " I need to know where Megatron is. I must speak with him on some personal matters."

" Megatron was taken to Hoover Dam, sir."

" Already?" She looked at Optimus " Well...it seems......I'm going to need a lift to Hoover Dam. Going my way?" she smiled

* * *

Unbeknowest to Optimus and Maggie, Megatron was not going to Hoover Dam. He was going to Vern Base which was near the Nevada border, and closer to where they needed to be hopefully to where they'd exchange Megatron for the girl Mikaela. William Lennox had met her for a brief moment in the Mission City battle, but that was enough to form a bond as close to any of his soldiers. What surprised him was the amount of concern Megatron was showing for the girl. It made him feel a bit suspicious. If he was going by the name of Matthew Banes, and Mikaela was posing as his "niece" then....perhaps there was more to the sudden change that he previously though,.

" So uh, where exactly have you been these past few days?" asked Will, glancing at the older man before.

" What's it to you?" mumbled Megatron

" Just making conversation." shrugged Will " Were you and Mikaela civil to each other?"

" What are you implying?"

" Look I mean...you seem to care for her a great deal and I figured, maybe you formed a bond with her."

Megatron huffed at him " There is nothing between us. She was my caretaker for a time, and I only tolerated her presence because I was at a disadvantage in this form. Otherwise, I hold nothing towards her. This is simply a way for me to get back to my own kind."

" Look that's just how I see it, you seem to think of her as...well...like family to you. Anyways, forget I said anything." said Will.

Megatron turned to the window, and shifted his arms which were shackled with strange metal rings at his back. He hadn't been truthful to the blond haired solider. He did care for her, for the girl. maybe not strongly, but he felt a sense of duty to protect her. After all, she had tolerated him, helped him when he was absolutely lost in this alien form. Had it not been for her, he would have likely have been wandering about the streets alone and clueless about the many confusing aspects of humanity. But he dared not tell the solider this. He'd most likely be laughed at, for this sign of sentimentality, and be accused of going soft. He had a reputation to keep after all, he didn't work for centuries on it, just to lose it.

William on the other hand wasn't convinced by what Megatron told him. Being human, he sensed that the former Decepticon leader harbored some kind of compassion for the girl. He wasn't sure if Megatron knew that his visual cues counteracted his words. But then again, it was a possibility that the old guy hadn't been human long enough to notice it. Will smiled inwardly. It was remarkable that such a short time with a human could change him so quickly. Even a tiny bit. It seemed to have made a dent on Megatron's seemingly tough outer wall, revealing that maybe, just maybe, he had a bit of a soft side. Then again, his thoughts could be total BS and the whole tough guy act was really real. He had to remind himself that this old man wasn't human, at least...wasn't before, and that he was once hell bent on destroying mankind. No doubt that once he had his old body, he'd go right back to being the bad guy.

Will honestly hoped that his former thoughts of a more compassionate Megatron were true. Otherwise, they were all screwed once he became Cybertronian again.

" Lennox, look, the base!" said Epps " And with a whole two and half hours to spare before morning."

Megatron peered over to the window to look down at the base below him. It got bigger as they prepared to descend onto the platform. He noticed several humans run towards the chopper, all waiting with guns in their arms. " I take it, this is my welcoming party?" he asked

" Complete with cake and candles." smirked Will. Megatron merely huffed at the odd figure of speech, and allowed himself to be taken down from the helicopter once they landed. He walked amid the armed men, noticing the sideways glances from them. No doubt they were expecting someone or something else, if they're whispering had anything to do with it.

" That's....the guy we're suppost to be on guard for?"

" He doesn't look so tough."

" He's old."

Megatron hated that kind of talk in his own army. Had he been their commander, he would have told the to shut silent, and mind their own business. They needed better programming...er..training. But then again, he had little knowledge of how human armies were kept. Instead of retorting though, he simply fumed with a silent anger at their remarks. If he had been in his true form, they'd be screaming for their pathetic organic lives! He noticed Ratchet and Bumblebee were absent, but would likely be arriving soon. Til then he'd had to put up with his human captors. Thankfully, Will released him from his shackles upon leaving the flying vehicle. Will's hand never leaving his shoulder, Megatron was guided into a small room filled with screens and computers of every size. He figured this must have been a communications center...how primitive.

" Lennox, what's the deal man?" said a young dark skinned man, then looked at Will and then at Megatron " Who the hell is that?"

" Sanderson, we're gonna need some equipment to make contact with the Decepticons." said Will

" What?! How? Even I can't do that, I'm one of the top communications experts here." he shouted

Megatron stifled a laugh. " You can't even manage that, and you call yourself the best."

" And who the hell are you to tell me that? It took me six years to get where I am!" shouted the angry man

" This guy....is going to get in contact, hopefully, with enemy numero ono in our book." explained Will, and let Megatron go to a computer console, however, he was blocked by Sanderson.

" Move." commanded Megatron.

" Not until you tell me..." retorted the man, only have the back of his shirt pulled, and he was pushed aside. William saw, for a brief second, Megatron's eyes. They glowed a slight blood red, and he immediately remembered what Ratchet said about him turning back into a Cybertronian. Will gulped, they needed to get this done now before the transformation took place. If the men here found out who this guy was...he'd have a heck of a lot of explaining to do to his superiors.

" For an old guy, he sure is strong." said Epps

" I heard that." grumbled Megatron " You're all in luck, this primitive technology can reach the higher signals."

" Primitive? That's top of the line equipment there, buddy. Will, just who is he?" asked James, rubbing his neck from grip previously " Is he one of those...um...up there on top guys from the government?"

".....Let's go with that." Lennox smiled nervously. He leaned down to monitor Megatron's actions, and watched him type in a series of commands into what looked like a DOS command line. As old fashioned as that was, Will understood the need to get to things faster that way. Megs was simply speaking the language of the computer as a direct command.

Megatron placed a pair of earphones over his ears, and watched as the screen changed, and the frequency scale increased dramatically. " And, seems I made a connection, however low it is. I'm putting this on intercom for everyone to hear."

He did so, and a barrage of static and electric noises filled the air. Everyone except Megatron covered their ears, as the sound finally went down to nothing more that a slow hum and electric beeps.

"Sounds like...a pod of whales are something." said Epps

" To your organic ears, it's noise. To me it's my native language, once we establish contact, I will need utter silence from you all. Any interference can be misread. Understood?" explained Megatron.

The men in the room were silent and looked at Will suspiciously. They were going to trust a total stranger? William held out his hand " Okay, you heard him. Keep quiet till it's okay."

Will leaned next to Megatron's right ear and whispered threateningly " _Try anything funny, I'll throw you in the darkest cell we have here for life_."

" _If you fear for the girl, I suggest you don't._" whispered Megatron

Will gave him a dirty look. ".....Fair enough."

Suddenly there was a burst of noise that emitted from the speakers. Megatron slowly decreased the sound, and what was heard next shocked most of the men in that room. It sounded like a whole room of modems going on the brink all at once. It was completely electrical in nature, and yet it seemed to have a kind of pattern as well. Much like sentences, and speech. Soon, most of the noises cleared, leaving only one booming, computer-like noise to be heard.

" This is Soundwave. Your signal reads as ally. State your designation."

" Soundwave, it's good to hear you old friend." said Megatron in his native language

" Lord Megatron?" asked Soundwave, with a surpising emotional tone

" Yes. It is I, I am alive on this pit forsaken planet thanks to our beloved second in command."

" T.." started a young guy in the corner, but Will covered his mouth and shushed him. What he was about to say was a remark about the strange electrical sounds that came out of Megatron's mouth. Like something crossed with white noise and beatboxing. But very, eerily alien. The sounds that were exchanged unnerved the entire room.

" I detect an organic based interference. This channel is not secure." stated Soundwave

" This channel is secure, I can personally attest to that. But it does not matter, the insects of this planet cannot decipher our language, and the Autobots cowards are in hiding. Where is your location, Soundwave?"

" Just above this planet, as you requested. I am streaming this off a nearby satellite."

" Is our army in this solar system?" asked Megatron

" They are awaiting your command on one of the satellites of the planet Jupiter. Do you wish to deploy them on to Earth at this time?"

" No, not yet. I only need two specific mechs by the names of Shockwave and his assistant Scalpel for now. Preferably next solar cycle." he said

" Where will you like to receive them? I cannot trace this signal clearly."

" Outside of the city of Tranquility, Nevada in the United States on the continent of North America. Have them come in the cover of night, and be discreet. The humans need not know of our presence...yet."

" As you command, Megatron."

" One other thing, I want you to track down the Decepticon Barricade for me. I have awaited his signal, but he has not responded back. He has taken something important from me, and thus he has become an enemy to us, and threat to our cause. Track him, and tell me the coordinates so I may find him and bring my wraith upon him for his defiance." he commanded, then added quickly " I would do this myself, but I have been injured, and need to repair."

" I have established contact with Barricade previously. Should I send his location to you, I cannot guarantee he will be there."

" It doesn't matter, I'll find him from there."

" Streaming coordinates now."

Megatron turned to Will and spoke in English. " Record this! Now!"

A stream of data was sent to a nearby terminal, and a strange static-like sound was heard over the speakers. It lasted for two minutes then stopped. Megatron returned to the computer console and replied through the headset in Cybertronian.

" Thank you Soundwave."

" Is that suitable information, my lord?"

" This will do. I will contact you when I'm need of more of your services."

" Understood. I Await your command. Connection: Terminated." a strong sharp click sounded, and left the entire room silent. However, the silence was broken by Sanderson, who got off his chair, and angrily pointed at Megatron and then at Will. He couldn't believe what just happened and that Will had let it happen.

" That guy is is one of them! Lennox what is the meaning of this?!" he shouted. Causing much of the room to whisper and discuss, all while looking at the two men. William knew this was going to happen, so he decided to fill them in. On a need to know basis of course. Which meant, as little truth as possible...for now. He'd deal with the consequences later, he was sure Keller would understand. Hopefully.

" Look, this guy was held hostage and eventually turned traitor to the Decepticons. He was...modified to be a spy, so those sounds you were hearing were from his mechanical parts. But he's still human like us, and he's willing to help now that he's with his fellow man again." he explained.

Megatron gave him a incredulous look. Now that was a lie if he ever heard one. Why was this human bailing him out of this? He's lying to his fellow soldiers, and that, in Megatron's mind as a leader himself, was an excuse to punish. Although, looking at it from the edge, the guy was saving his and his own skin. Might as well go along with the charade as much he can. It's better than being frozen alive again, as he knew was bound to happen once they found out who he really was.

" The kidnapped child in question is my niece...and even though I was a Decepticon...spy...I can't let that go. I want her home." lied Megatron.

Some of the people's deadly looks softened a bit upon hearing this, no doubt from the words "family" and "niece. It made it seem like he had a good reason to turn against the Decepticons at this point, although there was still a great amount of distrust in the room. That couldn't be helped though.

" If it makes you guys feel any better, I'll put him in a room away from any kind of communication device, okay? Beside, he's not much of a threat against us." said Will, and with that, Megatron was led down a small hallway guarded by several men in suits.

" Oh you have no idea how much of a threat I can still be." thought Megatron.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mikaela had woken up after a time, only to find a small metal frame next thrown over her legs in a protective position. Two long clawed hands resting on her ankles, and two smaller ones on her calves, a small angular head on her right hip. It was Frenzy, who seemed to be sleeping, as his usual electric blue lights were dimmed. His mouth parts, which she guessed were mandibles, moved slightly, and let out electric static hisses. Like he was talking in his sleep.

' The little guy is trying to defend me.' she found herself petting him, which prompted a quick strike across her face from one of his claws, and a sharp hiss. He frantically woke up and lept on the other side of the bed ready and willing to attack anything that came near him and Mikaela. When he saw no threat, he heard the human girl groan a bit, and realized what he did.

" Ow!" she rubbed her cheek, checking to see if any blood came out. Luckily it was superficial cut.

" Ssquishy?" he asked

" Mikaela." she corrected

" S-sorry! M..my bad. Ok? Hurt?"

" Not any hurt than I am now." she said rubbing her knee a bit, and found one of her jean legs ripped at the knee, and pieces of cloth wrapped around it from the bed sheets. She could tell it was a kind of makeshift bandage of some sort, and the wound was cleaned off slightly, with a piece of wet cloth with blood on it.

" Did you do this?" she asked looking up at him.

Frenzy nodded looking at her, then looking around him in his usually skittery manner.

" Why would you...help me? I mean, you're a Decepticon. You shouldn't be helping me at all."

" Mi-ka-la d-defend ag-gainst B-barricade."

" You mean, just because I spoke out for you, you're suddenly being buddy buddy with me?" she asked, not believing him at first.

" Never...d-done before. Th-thanks." he walked across the room, and looked toward the window, as if he was watching for something. No doubt it was Barricade.

" Well, I just don't like to see bigger guys picking on little guys. I mean, just because he's bigger than you, doesn't mean he can get away with beating you up. Aren't you his partner?"

" N-ot like me. Forc-ed to w-work with m-me. M-Megatron's orders." he explained

The sound of the name Megatron brought her an image of her "uncle". Strange, she could think of him as a human now, but the mental image of that Frenzy had must have been one of a huge metal tyrant. If only he knew how much has changed.

" Me-gatron order, b-b Baricade not f-follow. Hate m-me. Not nice."

" That's not right. You're an ok little guy, when..you're not trying to kill me. Barricade is being a jerk, you deserve a better partner."

" M-miss Soundw-wave."

" Soundwave? Who's that?"

" Creator."

" You mean he's like...you're Dad?"

"...?" Frenzy cocked his head to the side in confusion, making a question-like sound. What was a "Dad"?

" He created you...so he's like a parent to you then. Right? A father?"

" S-soundwave i-s creator. Made b-brother and I."

A brother? " You have a brother? Where is he?" she asked

" Offline....humans..kill him." he said sadly " Humans c-cruel and ev-il."

Oh..she could see why he thought like this. While humans did die in the Mission City battle, she knew Decepticons also died as well as Autobots. There was loss on all sides for them. She hadn't thought of it til now, how one death could affect someone left behind. Regardless of which side it was. Frenzy had lost a brother in the hands of humans, and he was well on his way when she almost "offlined" him with a rotary saw a few night ago.

" I'm sorry." she said " I know what it's like to lose someone. I lost my mother at a young age and, I miss my father too."

Frenzy's little ear spikes fluttered out as Barricade made a round near the window, but look into it. He was patrolling the area to make sure no one came near by to take his hostage. Mikaela braced herself, ready for what may come if he were to look in on her.

" Mi-ka-la. In d-danger."

" I know,

" Not w-want to see d-die, but n-not to see go either." he said, skittering towards her again

" What do you mean? Are you going to help me escape?" she asked

" Eh!" he nodded " Must h-hurry. N-not much time l-left."

" Wait, but what about you? You'll be killed if he finds out you let me escape."

" ...I k-know."

Part of her felt a sting. He was risking his life for her? Why? What was he going to get out of it.

" Frenzy...why are you doing this?" she asked

" Miss b-brother. Want to jo-in him. Lon-ely. No con-nec-tion. Twin"

She understood now. This was what they called a suicide mission. He knew the risk, he knew the punishment, but he would take it only because he wanted to be with his brother again. His twin. He longed for his company, and Barricade wasn't even close to be counted as a replacement for him. But it was still wrong. Despite what he was, he didn't have to kill himself for her or for his brother. She soon thought that perhaps he could come with her, and found it to be a stretch but...might as well ask.

" Frenzy, come with me. We can both escape!" she said

Frenzy stayed quiet for a bit, letting that thought sink in a bit before replying. He was risking his life for a fleshling, actually helping an organic when he didn't really care for her species at all. But then she changed his mind when she stood up to Barricade. She wasn't like other squishies he had met before. She had something special, and it would be a shame if she died at the hands of Barricade. Then there was his brother, who was waiting for him in the Well of Sparks, so they could be together again forever. They would never be lonely any more. Still, no matter the reason, underneath it all he was scared to die. Despite being a daredevil at times, death wasn't on his list of new things to try. He weighed the pros and cons and decided that he had a better shot at living with a human, than with Barricade. No matter how gross organics could be.

" Come with? B-but..Autobots!"

" I promise they won't hurt you! But you have to trust me, okay? As much as you don't want to see me die, I don't want to see you die either. It's unfair, and plus...I know where Megatron is. I spoke to him."

Frenzy's optics lit up. The squishy spoke to his leader? And survived?! He didn't think that could be possible. But if Megatron had seen what he saw in the human girl, then there was a possibility she could have gained enough of his favor to live. Maybe. He watched her thin hand reach to him, and stroke one of his arms in a gentle, but forgien gesture. It seemed to be a sign of reassurance.

" Eh...I w-will...go with." he said " Protect! Protect you!"

She laughed. That was kind of cute how he suddenly blurted that out. " Okay. But only if you behave. I might even consider letting you come with me long term. Pinky sware?"

He purred. That would be nice. He agreed, although he was unfamiliar with her next action as she hooked her pinky finger on to one of his main digits, but then she quickly pulled her hand back and sucked her pinky finger. A small drop of blood dripped down. He looked at her in confusion at the strange gesture. Why would she purposly do something that would cause her harm? Humans were such strange creatures.

" Ouch, I forgot about those blades. Okay, now that, that's settled, what's your plan on escaping from here? If Barricade finds us trying to escape, I won't be able to stop him from turning you into a piece of tin foil, and I'm going to get worse than a bleeding knee." she said

" Eh! M-must trust me."

" Ok, so care to tell me or do we have to brainstorm?"

Frenzy shook his tiny head, and put a claw to his mouth area as a sign of "shhh", then frantically skittered towards the window looking out then he shouted...

" B-Barricade! Bb-barricade! Squishy on m-menstrual cycle!"

" What the hell?!" she shouted

" P-play along!" said the little bot looking over his shoulder.

Oh! Mikaela nodded to him. This was part of the plan, she sat down, putting her hands on her stomach and pretended she was in pain. Then earned her a small thumbs up from him.

" What the slag is wrong now?" said a gruff, rumbling voice belonging to her captor

" H-human female on m-menstrual cycle! Needs s-supplies!" explained Frenzy

" Why should I care of the human worm is shedding it's uterine lining?!" he roared

" You would care if you want blood all over the place!" she yelled back at him. Insulted that he viewed her as simply an animal.

The large mech cringed at this. That was disgusting! Last thing he needed was to deal with an organic's bodily fluids all over the place. Which would no doubt smell up the place, and bring disease that would eventually kill her, voiding the exchange. Plus, if the Autobots saw blood on her, anymore than she had anyways, they may not let his leader go, and Soundwave would surely have his head. There's no teling what a monotone, uncharismatic mech like him would do to him if he got upset.

" What do you need then?" he asked roughly

" Well, first, you're going to need to get me some tampons, the overnight kind. Then some aspirin, because I'm really in a lot of pain right now." she said, still holding her stomach.

Frenzy looked at her a bit worried. Mikaela caught that look, she knew she needed to make the list longer to buy more time for whatever the little guy was going to do. " And....I need lots of Twinkies and cupcakes. Because when I have my cycle, I lose a lot of...sugar! And it's important that I get it! Oh and coffee too!"

Frenzy silently cheered over the mention of that liquid bean drink while Barricade mused over her list. She was right. Humans did consume a lot of sugary foods, and it made sense she'd need some during this time.

" Fine. Keep a close optic on the girl, or I'll turn you into a pile of scrap, Soundwave be damned!" he shouted at the little mech

Frenzy hopped on her back unexpectedly and brushed his sharp claws against her neck. " I w-will s-slice her p-pretty face!"

" Careful. We want to make a good exchange, so don't rough her up too much. I'll be back."

And with that, he transformed into a police car, and sped down the highway towards civilization. Mikaela wondered how the hell he'd manage to find all those items, but she didn't care, nor did she need any of them anyways. She got up, then realized Frenzy was still clinging to her back.

" Slice my pretty face?" she asked the little mech smugly

" D-don't read into it." he narrowed his blue optics at her, before hopping out the window, holding on to the gutter system down to the bottom. There, he circled around the building, and found a tall folded ladder. With much effort, he managed to drag it to the open window, and position it underneath, while she carefully climbed down it.

" Thanks...so now what little guy?" she asked

" Now, t-to get to w-work!" he replied, his little metal claws clicking and clattering across the keyboard.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After the whole communication thing, William sat with Epps front of the room Megatron was being held in. From the sound inside, he could hear snoring, and figured the events up til now must have left him exhausted. He didn't blame the guy, but he didn't really pity him either. If it hadn't been for him , this whole mess wouldn't have happened. But then again, he didn't choose for the Allspark to land on Earth, nor did he choose to be frozen alive either. Will shrugged. okay, so the old man wasn't entirely to blame, but still, it didn't excuse his bloody rampage on the nearby city either.

" Don't you think there was a little too much talking between the old man and his buddy?" asked Epps, breaking the silence

" You mean some hidden messages? I warned him though, if he tries anything funny, his ass is gonna be hauled straight to solitary confinment."

" No I mean, they seemed to talk pretty...well. You know how you'd talk to your Dad or something."

" Maybe they're related? I don't know, Optimus did say once that Cybertronians have families." said Will

" If they do then, do you think Decepticons have families?"

" I never thought of that." he asked a bit grimly

" Like they say, there's two sides to every war. In the end though, some mother on either side weeps for her son."

William's face twitched. He knew that part of war more than anyone else. Didn't matter who died, someone would weep for them on either side. Some soldiers he knew, sometimes went insane with that knowledge that he just killed another human being. They were never the same after that, and were often dismissed early from the service due to psychological stress. On the toehr hand, some soldiers demonized their enemy and made it a personal vendetta to kill them all. Everyone. Sometimes whole families under the guise that that were all terrorists or plotting to kill his teammates. Again, those were dismissed early, but with severe repercussions. When it came to battling against machine-like beings however. It was harder to "feel" for them. They weren't human, and humans had a tendency to feel more sympathy for things that resembled themselves. To many soldiers on the field, these beings were no more than just metal constructs. Even his men, sometimes feared the Autobots, who have shown they can also do quite a bit of damage themselves. And the civilians who saw them...how had they seen either side? To them, there was no distinction. They were simply heartless, soulless beings, willing to kill them for the sake of killing.

He wondered though. Do the Decepticons feel the same way about us? Are we harder to understand, simply because we don't look like them? That we come from two vastly different cultures with different morals? William turned to the door, and looked into the small window to see a sleeping Megatron. He pondered, had Megatron's experience as a human somehow...changed his view point? Would the reverse happen if someone had become a Cybertronain? In a strange way, could that be a way to help stop the fighting? To reverse their positions and see through another's eyes? It seemed like such an easy concept to understand, but not everyone would be willing to accept it.


	22. Escape and Chase

Megatron had woken up sometime ago, and heard the conversation of the soldiers behind the door, die down. No doubt they were switching guards, which gave him a perfect opportunity to test out a little something he had made from the various things he found inside the room. And what a room it was. While it had no working communication, it was a storage room with old radios, wires and soldering equipment. Basically it was a electrical maintenance room, and he put to use what he could find. The humans had no idea of his electrical expertise, and resourcefulness, even with such primitive tools and equipment. He held his brand new creation in his fingertips, as the tiny creature flexed it's wings. It was a simple creature, without a mind of it's own, much like the drone-like machines created by humanity, but it would have to do for now. Megatron smiled as the tiny mechanical grasshopper-like robot hopped off his hand, scurrying around before stopping at his feet. It seemed to await it's master's orders.

" Your first command is to get into the communications room, and attach yourself to the satellite of the main tower. Transfer the message I have given you successfully, then self destruct."

With that, he placed the little insecticon into a nearby airvent, and it crawled away towards it's target. He smiled smugly, before his face fell as a small pain shot through his arm. He had felt that same pain when he was talking to Barricade, but he attributed it to his body being stressed with the threat of his life being cut short by the angry Decepticon. But this pain was something else entirely. He poked his soft flesh to feel where the source of his pain was coming from. He felt a tender spot and then intense pain on his shoulder. Without thinking, he tore off his shirt to better get a look at the damage, but found he couldn't see it properly. He looked around him, and spotted a small broken mirror sitting on a counter. Positioning it, he twisted himself, and held it up. His eyes widened in fear. It wasn't just a bruise as he thought it would be....it was something much more serious.

There, in the mirror's reflection was the sight of discolored flesh on his right shoulder. Not from any outside cut or injury, this was being caused by something inside him. A reddish spot was forming, as something looked like it was pushing from the inside out. He carefully felt the spot, and realized how hard it was. It was not bone, it was something inorganic. Something both familiar to him, but alien to his human body. He suddenly felt another shot of pain traveling from the wound to his neck and to his horror, he felt his flesh tense and pull until whatever was underneath had pushed out, like a plant growing pushing out of the ground. Tearing the delicate skin, like thin fabric, relasing crimson red liquid in it's wake, which was tinged with a bright purplish fluid as well. Both the shock and sight of the wound delayed the one thing any normal human would have done in seconds. A scream.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Somewhere outside the state limits....

" Are you sure a taxi is going to bother coming all the way out here in the middle of nowhere?" she questioned the tiny silver and blue mech, sitting on her shoulders. She was surprised how light he was, and allowed him to scan the area for the fore-mentioned vehicle he had supposedly hailed over the internet. She didn't even want to know how he payed for the fare, but she figured it must have been done so illegally. After all, he *was* a Decepticon.

" Yes." he replied, still searching for both Barricade, and any other car down the road. Nothing so far.

" Really? she asked, brushing one of his tiny little arms from her face for the fourth time.

" P-pos-itive."

" Only fools are positive." she groaned

" You s-sure?" smirked Frenzy

" I'm positive...Uggg! I fell for it! I should have known, you little can opener." she hit him playfully, and she heard something akin to an electrical laugh.

" Stupid s-squishy!"

" Hey, I can still change my mind and leave you here to die." she said

" Taxi approaching." he said, scampering up higher on her head.

" Ow! Where? I don't...see?" she squinted to see what he saw, only to recognize it as a large black and grey helicopter flying at breakneck speed. Her heart thumped loudly in fear, this was no taxi, that was a Decepticon. She pulled Frenzy off her and threw him to the ground, staring into his electric blue eyes in rage.

" You little freak! You totally went back on your word! I thought you were trying to help me escape, and instead you were trying to get me killed!" she cried

" N-no! Not un-derstand! Friend helps!" he sputtered

" Yea, helps me get killed!" she shouted, eying the helicopter coming closer...ever closer to her doom. She knew for sure this might be the last day on Earth for her, so she might as well take out her anger on the small mech for all the trouble his kind gave her til now.

Frenzy looked ready to counter attack her with his tiny razor claws as she was about to kick his butt, but her attention was caught by the black copter hovered in the air before transforming. She had seen Bumblebee and the others transform, but even then, she was still in awe over their ability. It seemed so fluid and natural for them, like second nature. However, one thing seemed amiss with the Decepticon that stood before them. He seemed to limp slightly as he walked, and his face was heavily damaged. The fierce fiery red that she had come to expect from a Deception's optics was completely absent. There was nothing but black holes where that red should have been.

" Frenzy! Where are you, you little blasted spark of a glitch!" roared the large mech " What business do you have calling me out to this Primus forsaken place!"

" Wait here." he told her, as he scurried over the helicopter and carefully approached him, close enough to talk, but not to get stepped on. Mikaela crossed her arms, so now what was going to happen? They sure were taking their sweet time trying to crush her into a bloody pancake. Not that she wanted that to happen anyways. She looked around her, maybe it wasn't too late to escape.

" O-ver h-here, Blackout!" called Frenzy.

The Decepticon turned around, nearly missing Frenzy underfoot. " Send a signal, I can't see you, even my slagging infer-red is shot!"

Mikaela noticed that Frenzy must have let out some kind of signal, because the large mech began walking towards him slowly in a straight line.

" Now I can see...keep sending it, make the direction wider...that's it." he growled

" He's blind..." she thought " No wonder he hasn't noticed me yet."

" B-blackout! Haven't seen s-since Megatron s-sent out to s-space."

" Don't talk to me about that good for nothing leader of ours! He betrayed me and left me for dead! After I went through the trouble of trying to locate him on this dirtball of a planet! That's the kind of gratitude I get? Get shot in the aft, and my optic sensors get wiped out. He can go to the pit for all I care! This isn't what I joined the Decepticons for! Where's my fame and recognition, slag it?!"

" Excuse me..." asked Mikaela " Blackout, was it?"

" What? Who's there?! Sounds organic, human...what is the meaning of this Frenzy? Have you betrayed me too? Led me to the blasted humans to be captured?!" he roared.

" No! No! No! Help us! Escape B-barricade! He s-serves M-egatron. B-but not me, n-not-her. F-friends now!"

" So you turned traitor then? I pity you. I may not serve under Megatron, but I have not turned my back on the Decepticons. To be a traitor is to die a painful, lonely death. I rather be shot point blank by Optimus Prime himself, than become an autobot."

" I n-not an Aut-o bot!" cried Frenzy, letting out a string of curses afterward.

" If you're not with us, you're against us! I should end your miserable life now for choosing to side with this organic."

" Great, he's not going to be any help." mumbled Mikaela, watching the two mechs bicker with one another.

" What was that?!" roared Blackout, looking around hopelessly to pin point where the voice was coming from. It wasn't just his sight that was wiped out, his hearing seemed to be on the fritz as well. Mikaela walked closer to Blackout, and yelled up to him, pretty much fed up with Frenzy, the larger Decepticon and this whole escape plan as well. However, she wasn't about to let her free ride go. If she was one thing, she was resourceful, and second, she was a survivor. If she could manipulate this 'con into doing at least one thing for her, she might have a shot at living til the end of the day.

" I said, you're not any help at all! You're freakin blind, you can hardly walk...I'll bet you can't even fly straight without crashing into anything. It's probably sheer dumb luck you even made it out here. So just go! We're going to take a taxi to the city, and it will probably get there faster and safer than you could even manage." she shouted at the black helicopter. She suddenly saw a huge black metal fist come at her, as Frenzy pulled her away in fear. It nearly missed her. Frenzy looked at her in disbelief. Just what in the pit was she doing? He thought she wanted to escape alive.

" You little biological parasite!! I can fly faster and better than any Earth made transportation that was ever made!" spat Blackout

" Then prove it!" she said smugly. " Take me to the city of Tranquility, unless you're not mech enough to even fly a pitiful human there."

Frenzy soon caught on exactly what she was doing. If he could grin, he would. He was right, this human female *was* different than most. That was very intelligent, and clever to make an attack on a Decepticon's pride. His blindness was also an advantage for her. He watched as the black helicopter fumed before the tiny human girl, both at not being able to squish her due to his handicap, and also because she was taunting him.

Blackout began to raise his right fist into the air, ready to try to squash her again (thankfully she out of his range), but quickly lowered it to the ground, as a sign of subtle defeat. If he were to take her away from Barricade, he'd be considered a betrayer, although he was considered dead among his faction already. But if he didn't do it...he'd live with some seriously damaged pride. He weighed the pros and cons, and finally settled on taking her. When it came to anything else, he looked out for number one. Himself. He figured he should have done that from the beginning, or he wouldn't have gone blind in the first place. No time like the present, he thought.

." Fine!" and with that, he transformed back into his helicopter mode, and opened the doors to allow Frenzy and Mikaela inside. " Now get in, shut up and hang on. If I hear any complaint about the way I fly, I'll drop the lot of you out in midair to plummet to your deaths! You got it?"

" Got it!" beamed Mikaela, and winked at Frenzy, who gave her a thumbs up, with all four of his arms. She couldn't believe she pulled that off, but she wasn't out of the woods yet. She still needed to make sure he wouldn't try anything funny while she was inside him. No telling what he was thinking, or planning. But it was a whole lot better than being a bloody mess under some robot's foot in the morning.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Megatron's tiny drone crawled it's way through the vents on a one way trip to the communication room. Scanning it's way through the maze of tubes and vents, it finally found it's target. Looking around it, it flew and landed on the shoulder of one of the communication officers. So tiny, it was like a fly. It hung on to the man, and then dropped onto a computer hardrive, crawling into the box, and then working it's magic. It tapped into the mainframe, bypassing the codes, and finally using a small satellite to broadcast the message it carried.

" Attention Decepticons on Earth. This is your leader Megatron. I am very much alive. I want you to find the Decepticon Barricade, and retrieve the human female Mikaela Banes from his hold. He is a traitor. Dispose of him if you must, but bring the human girl alive to me near the vicinity of Vern Base. No questions asked. She holds important information. Be discrete. No need to escort her. I will deal with her personally."

With the broadcast transmitted, the little insect began to run down. It's purpose complete, as it's tiny red optics dimmed, and died.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lennox was the first to hear it, then a younger solider who he had just past in the hallway. They looked at each other, then back at the door that their alien 'guest' was being held in. Lennox knew it came from Megatron, as he and the solider made their way toward the room and unlocked it. What they saw before them was completely unexpected. Will was greeted the sweet, sickly smell of blood, and some other unknown scent akin to turpentine, and in the center of the room, with a small mangled hack-saw, was Megatron, holding his torn shirt which was soaked against his shoulder.

" What the hell are you doing?" shouted Will, trying to make his way to him. He wasn't sure if the wound was self inflected, or an accident. All he knew was that a good amount of blood was splatted on the floor and surrounding area.

" I'm...reverting back." hissed Megatron between his breath. He slowly peeled away the shirt, revealing not bone beneath the broken flesh, but a sawed off metal rod. In his other hand, he held the other piece. So that explained the hack saw.

" Lennox, we need to get him in the medical wing, it's a miracle he hasn't fainted from this much blood loss." said the younger man, as he tried to get close enough to help the man.

" Don't touch it!" shouted Megatron " It's not just blood..."

He was right, there was a strange glowing blue fluid mixed with the blood on the floor. A drop sizzled as it fell from the hacksaw, and on the floor, as well as burning the skin on Megatron's shoulder. Will had seen this once before from Ironhide's wounds in the Mission City battle, but never close up. No doubt this was alien blood, and so much of it spilled. He had to act fast.

" Jake, I want you to notify the medical wing, get some Haz-Mat suits, and...

" Will!" shouted Epps down the hallway, and looking through the half open doorway looking excited. " Our alien buddies just showed up, where do you want to....holy shit! What happened to him?!"

" Epps, tell Ratchet to get to the back of the medical wing, and not a word gets breathed to Sanderson about this." he said " Jake, get a wheelchair, and put those rubber gloves on the counter on. I don't want two injured men here. Megatron...can you stand?"

Megatron got off the floor, waving away the younger man, and still held his shoulder. Lennox unfolded the old wheelchair and motioned for him to sit on it, but Megatron walked past him into the hallway.

" Keep it, I can walk."

" Look, don't get stubborn with me, okay? I'm trying to help you." said Will

" By keeping me here, you're not helping anyone. Especially the girl."

" We've already sent out men to that location."

" It's already 4 AM, Earth time." growled Megatron

" Still early enough, the sun hasn't yet rose."

" That's not what I'm worried about. On Cybertron at this moment, it's afternoon."

" So? What are you saying?"

" We don't know if Barricade is going by your time or ours. She could be dead already."

Lennox's blood ran cold. But he couldn't dwell too much on that, he had an injured man to help, and an alien medic waiting. " Look...you can sit on it quietly, or I can knock you out, and then wheel you down anyways. Take your pick. Because if you haven't noticed, you're bleeding to death, and in no condition to walk such a long distance."

" Don't underestimate me. I have put up with worse injuries in war. I have survived then, I can survive now."

" Maybe as a robot...but not as a human being. The rules are a lot different, you don't feel it now, a few steps more could very well cause you to collaspe, and go into shock. I'm not about to let you die, not that I care about you, I care about "her". Now get in, and shut up." spat William

Megatron snorted, and sat in the wheelchair without a word. The solider seemed to know what he was talking about, being a human and all, so he gave in from his pride. And he was right, if he did die, the girl would die too. Though he hoped that the message he sent to his men, found Barricade's location and the girl. He didn't hope for any help from the humans, they would do little good against a Decepticon like Barricade. Barricade was a young mech, and while not very strong, he had cunning on his side, and could very well have made off with the girl to yet another location, via hearing police reports and government airwaves on his radio. The humans had no idea just how much the Decepticons were in control of their media now. All thanks to Soundwave.

And Soundwave, he was glad that he was in charge of the Decepticons at present, but no doubt he would have broadcasted to his army that he lived still. Bad thing was, neither Soundwave nor the others knew he was a human man now. As he was wheeled down the hallway, he thought in retrospect that he should not have cut off that metal rod, or screamed. He should have willed the transformation to overtake him, and maybe he'd revert back fully. Why had he even cut it off in the first place? What was the point of hanging on this fleshy form? Could it be he was growing attached to his human body? He shook his head at that thought.

' I can't forget who I am. I'm not human, I'm the Decepticon leader, I'm Cybertronian. This form is only a shell and nothing more.'

He thought if he tried to will the transformation now, he could start up the process again. At least enough to escape, and look for Mikaela, then drop her off somewhere safe so he could return to space to met with Soundwave. However, those were a lot of "ifs". He wasn't sure if willing it was such a good idea now. What if his human body couldn't take the stress? He refused to die in this form. Maybe it was best to wait til it started on it's own.

' There's still time, I can wait. The process has started, and very soon I'll be me again. No more miserable, weak body, no more having to keep track of every little nuisance of human life, no more Witwicky boy, no more...."

" Maggie.." he whispered sadly.

" What about her?"

" N..Nothing." he said quickly, looking at the ground. He didn't know he has said that aloud.

" Nothing huh? Then why is you face all red?" smirked William

Damn this infuriating human body and it's visual cues! He hadn't meant to blush! That was another thing he added to his increasingly long list of hatred towards his human form.

" You like her?"

" I don't like her." he said gruffly. He loved her.

Lennox smiled knowingly.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

" And that's about everything. That's why I need to apologize to him tonight. I mean...if things had gone any further, I don't know what could have happened." said Maggie, sitting comfortable inside Optimus Prime.

At first, she felt she needed to hold the wheel in order to keep the Peterbilt from running off the road, but she soon found out she was not needed for such a thing. He drove himself just fine, and told her to simply relax and explain the earlier events of the day to him. She didn't want to bore with the details, but he insisted. She was surprised how roomy it was in his cab, with enough leg room to sit across the seats to sleep if she wished. However, he had stressed to her that she would wear the seatbelt at all times, as her safety came first to him. She was much too excited to sleep though, and likened it to two days ago, when she just discovered that she and a few chosen people, now knew alien robots existed. Not to mention she had just fallen in love with a now human, alien robot tyrant, who once wanted to destroy her planet, and was talking to the sibling and complete opposite of said alien robot. She wasn't sure if it was a blessing or a curse, but she was grateful for the huge change in her otherwise, mundane life.

Optimus had been quiet the entire time she spoke, and felt a bit too surprised to anwser her at first. Was this the same Megatron he knew? He didn't seem the kind to have a love for anything but his own goals, and conquests. Let alone a human woman. And yet, he showed her compassion, and even returned the love she gave to him that same night, only to pull away in confusion. That he understood, as Maggie had stated before, the differences between their species was huge. It was little wonder that Megatron would be confused over some of the more complex customs and displays of human love.

" Optimus?" spoke Maggie. Unnerved by his silence. " You okay, big guy?"

" Yes, I'm sorry...I was processing what you have just said."

" Oh..okay. Just checking. So, what do you think? Will he take my apology? Does he even take apologies or is the kind to just brush you off, and give you the cold shoulder?"

" Maggie, to be honest with you...he has changed so much since I've known him, it's hard to tell what's normal and what isn't. All I can offer to you, is to go ahead with the apology, and prepare yourself with any response he may make. However, if he causes you any kind of distress, I can assure you that he will have to anwser to me."

" Ohh..big brother protecting me? I appreciate your offer Optimus, but I've been through so many rejections, I don't think I'll be phased by what he dishes out to me."

" Very well, but my offer still stands. Besides, I could use the opportunity to um..."chew him out" as you say, for the trouble he's caused me for the past few centuries."

Maggie chuckled " You two are so much like siblings. You guys remind me of my cousins back in Australia, they bicker like an old couple, but always seem to make up in the end."

" I wish that was so between Megatron and I. It's more serious that just bickering, it's a deep seated grudge that has firmly planted itself into our relationship. I have my doubts we will ever "make up" until one of us falls in battle. Even then, I still worry over his wellbeing, even if he's my enemy, he still has my greatest respect. Not because he's my brother, nor because he was once a prime...it goes deeper than that. Because we were sparked from the same source, he and I, are two halves of a whole. Perhaps I still hold on to a foolish notion that he will see the light and end this war before we lose everything."

" It's never foolish to be optimistic, Optimus. You at least want to see the end of the war, and maybe...because you two are alike in some ways...maybe he'll see that too. That's all it takes, is for one to have hope. You haven't lost everything, until you've lost that."

" I suppose." he said inwardly.

" Hey! Cheer up! Things have changed now, he's a human...and there's alot that can still happen in that frame of time. Maybe this is his second chance to change for the better, and live how he should have before starting all this grief and misery. Maybe he might even get better with age, who knows?" she mused

Optimus cringed at that. While Ratchet had explained to him what was happening to Megatron's body at the moment, both Maggie and Megatron were completely in the dark. It seemed wrong to keep this kind of thing from them. He was well aware now, that Maggie had more than just a fondness for his brother. She had a true, pure love for him, that was becoming deeper as time went on. But, Megatron's sudden reverting back, could very well cause their love to crumble. He didn't want to tell her or him of this news for fear of ruining their relationship, but it needed to be said.

" Maggie...there's something I believe you should know, before thinking of anything long term with my brother." he said solemnly. Maggie stayed silent at this sudden change in mood. The cab seemed smaller now that it was just a few seconds ago.

" What? Oh...Optimus, it's not like I'm planning to marry the guy! I mean, things like that take time, and explaining."

" There is always the possibility of things like that Maggie. It's already apparent that you love him, and that there is something he harbors for you. But that can't be, it will never come to pass for you both."

" Why?" she was offput with his negativity.

" Megatron doesn't know about this, but there's a complication with his heart. His blood is becoming tinged with Energon, which is our life-blood, what keeps us going. However, it has no place in the human body, and with time, the internal organs can deteriorate, and finally fail if left unchecked. This as you know, is fatal." he explained

" How did the energon get inside his body?" she asked fearfully.

" His body is creating it, or rather, it was always there to begin with, but the molecular structure was changed, when he became human. Now that change is reversing, he reverting back to what he once was."

Maggie leaned back on the seat, hands to her mouth in a gasp. " Isn't there something you can do to stop it?"

" Ratchet believes he may be able to stop the process before it becomes too severe. That's where Hoover Dam come into play. While the Allspark is no longer housed there, there is a great amount of Cybertronian artifacts that can be of use to us, as well as a vast array of human medical resources. However, time is against us, and we have no notion when and where the energon in his body will take affect. We must act now, before it's too late."

Maggie 's hand was still on her mouth, her eyebrows crossed in worry.

" Have you upset you with this news? I appolgise if that's the case, I didn't mean to cause you distress."

" I'm not upset...I'm just...shocked and mad and happy at the same time."

" That's quite contradictory."

" Ah, most human emotions are, Optimus. But I am upset that you kept something so important from me and Megatron."

" You must think of me as selfish."

" No, not selfish. It's actually...dare I say...very kind of you to do that. " she said " Most people would just blurt it out, and not care who gets hurt, but you...you actually think before say something. To me, that's really thoughtful. "

" Do humans not do this with one other often?" he asked

" They hardly do it at all anymore. And when they do, they're not anywhere as honest as you."

Optimus stayed quiet, and silently read her bodily signs. Something about her voice becoming softer in tone, caught his attention. If his patterns arrays on human emotions were any indicator, they were reading her as "sad" or " Stressed". This troubled him, as he didn't want to upset the woman that he was slowly becoming acquainted with.

" Maggie? Are you alright?" he asked

" Oh...don't listen to me. I'm just rambling, I should let you drive, I don't want to distract you." she said, in the same saddened tone.

" You're not at all distracting to me, but if you don't want to talk about it, I will not pressure you." he said gently.

" Thank you. I guess, I'm just worried about Megatron. It's like a blurr so much has happened I an hardly keep up. It's a lot to take in, but..I'll be alright."

" I'm glad." he replied

Maggie found herself smiling a bit, and she wondered...what exactly was it about the Prime family that caused them to be so sincere? With the minor exception of Megatron, they all seemed (at least the two she met) to have a kind of charming appeal to them. It didn't matter what they said, good or bad, they seemed to be absolutely genuine about it. Although, she was wondering about the impact humanity was having on Megatron's "sincerity". As she knew, the more he stayed in human form, the more likely he'd pick up human habits. But, despite this, and what he once was, he was still straight forward. She had yet to meet a man who was that honest. It seemed unfair those men were not human.

'I swear, if you and Megs had been human men..I think I would have fallen for you both." she thought

Optimus swerved a bit on the road, catching Maggie by surprise, clutching the seatbelt for dear life. They skidded to a halt, as Optimus' tires squealed on the pavement, and he let out a hiss of steam from his front pipes, and then utter silence on the dark highway ahead of them. Just the piercing lights of Optimus and the three black vans were seen.

" Holy Mother of Christ, Optimus! What happened?" she shouted, shaken by the sudden movement. She then noticed a flashing blue light coming his dashboard. It stopped after he spoke. She guessed it was a type of signal for a message from his team.

" We're going the wrong way." he said " I just got a distress signal from Ratchet."

" What did he say?" she asked, nodding that her guess was right.

" Hold on a minute, I need to patch the message to the others. It's very serious."

" Well don't leave me hanging, Optimus...tell me it's not about Megatron." she said worriedly

Optimus stayed silent, while patching the message to the other vans behind them. It was an odd sight to see, as a little convoy of black vans were parked here and there on the road, as they had to swerve when Optimus made a sudden stop. Maggie was on the edge of her seat. She hoped nothing bad had happened to Matt or anyone else. At this rate, there's no way she'd be able get rest without a few nightmares of friends meeting horrible ends.

" Well?" she asked, a bit impatient.

" Megatron is at Vern base, about an hour away from us." said Optimus quickly.

" Is it bad?"

" We'll be heading back there at once." he replied, in the same hurried tone.

" Optimus!" she shouted. She had enough of that.

" Maggie, I rather not...discuss the details."

" I'm not made of glass Optimus, I won't break. Please tell that he's at least alive." she asked

" He is, but not in the best condition. He's in the process of reverting, and he's in a lot of pain."

She tried to not look shocked. And pressed her fists to her thighs instead of the seat. She was sure Optimus was scanning her for any kind of distress. Distress that he hoped he wasn't causing her, bless him. She quickly replied. " I want to be there, I want to see him.."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Witwicky Home...

Sam was standing in an empty void. A familiar empty void.. Somehow, he knew he was dreaming, but also, he was somewhere else. Somewhere, not on Earth. He felt the presence of a being, despite not being able to see anything except a black void. He soon spotted a blue light coming towards him, and finally hovering over him. He knew who and what it was. It was the Allspark. He huffed. Now what did it want from him?

" Human. Sam Witwicky."

" Not you again!" shouted Sam " Look, I'm taking care of Megs, he's fine at Maggie's, fat and happy on pizza. Alright, Mr. Allspark?"

" I am not the Allspark."

" If you're not him/her/it...whatever...who are you?" He asked, feeling a little miffed that these 'things' were invading the privcy of his dreams now. Was there no justice in universe anymore?

" I have little time to speak to you. Listen well." it said

"Tell me you aren't some arcane ancient artifact that wants me to do something for it. Because I'm sick and tired of this. I want to live a normal, at least semi normal life, okay?"

" They are coming to your world, human. Watch the sky. They want the source, you have the key. Be wary."

" Oh nonononono! What is this? Is every Cybertronian deity out to make my life a living hell? Did I unknowingly piss you guys off or something?"

" You are the key. There are two after you. One is for their benefit, the other for your death."

" Wait! Can't you give me a clue?" shouted Sam, as the light faded to darkness. A single spark hovered over him, like a blue ember, and touched his left hand, spreading on his skin for a second, before settling into the shape of a strange symbol. He felt ready to shout at the light again, when he found himself shooting up out of bed, he saw his mother, Judy, looking over him with a worried expression.

" Sweety? Are you ok? I heard you screaming! Was it that dream about the balloon animals again?" she asked him

" Wha..? Huh?" he sat up, looking around, til he realized he was back in his room again. It was all a dream. " No...it was just a really weird dream."

" Well, your father made breakfast this morning. It's one of the old Witwicky recipes from the "Old Country"...hashbrowns with sausage smothered with applesauce. My advice to you, take your time in the bathroom, and grab a poptart on your way out," she made her way to his door.

" Heh, okay Mom."

" You sure you're alright, honey?" she peeked over the door frame. She worried about his son since coming home from Mission City. She worried he might have had some kind of trama. Especially with the whole "Escaped experimental government robots thing". It was all over the news, though in the back of her mind, something about it didn't sit well with her, especially with the government taking them into custody, and giving Sam a brand new Camaro in exchange.. Her husband Ron just called it being paranoid.

" I'm fine. It was just...really weird." he assured her

" Okay. See you downstairs."

Sam looked around him again, just to be sure nothing was out of place. Everything seemed to be alright. He figured the weird dream may have been brought about by the whole Mission City incident. He'd have to call Maggie to check on Megatron. Yawning, he tore off the covers, and made his way to his closet to pick through the clothes that were a mix of clean and used. Whatever smelled okay, he'd wear for the day. In between the jeans and boxers, he noticed the slightly ripped brown sweater he wore just a few days ago. His mom would surely make him throw it out, but after what that sweater had been through with him, he considered it a good luck charm. Picking it up to hide it in the back of the closet, something shiny fell out of the front pocket. His eyes lit up, he recognized it from somewhere before. Then it dawned on him...

......This was a fragment of the Allspark!

" Whoa. I gotta show Optimus this thing." he said, picking up the sliver. It shined like silver in the sunlight, and then copper and gold in another angle. Like every known metal in the universe was in it. He saw a single glyph on the surface. He remembered it! It was the same symbol in his dream! He traced it with his finger, before feeling a searing heat. He watch the sliver melt on his left hand, before disappearing or rather...dissolving into his skin, leaving the exact symbol from the shard, like a silvery tattoo. He stared at his hand in disbelief, watching the metal change color to a slight goldish hue and settled.

" Oh no...that can't be good." he whispered

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Somewhere on one of Mars moons...

" So, Megatron's murderer still lives, eh?" said a large winged, tan colored mech, clutching the neck of a small red and silver robotic bird shaped mech with glowing red eyes, it's large metal wings bound, and it's clawed legs chained to the ground. " You have done your duty well, Laserbeak. Thundercracker! Where the slag are you?"

" Yes, Starscream?" said another winged mech from behind a stone. He was holding a small robotic figure in his claws, while welding an arm on to it.

" Aren't you finished with that contraption yet?" asked Starscream

" It's not a contraption, it's called a Pretender. And no, I'm not done with it, it needs to be tested properly in society to insure that it.."

" As long as it lures that infurating human named Samuel Witwicky to us, then it's ready!"

" At least let me put clothes on it?" huffed Thundercracker

" It looks fine." said Starscream

" Humans wear clothing, they do not go about naked. If I released this proto-type on Earth as is, she would be captured by their law enforcers."

" Then dress it and send it to Earth."

" Let me fix it's hair then." he said, smoothing down a blond wig upon the form's head.

" Stop fussing with it! Primus! You are absolutely obsessed with human culture!"

Thundercracker huffed. Yes it was true, he did have a slight, sort of interest in human culture. He particularly liked their literature, as well as their classical music. He was considered dull among his fellow Seekers, but his upbringing wasn't like them. He came from a more upper-class family, and could trace his family line to his oldest and most well known explorers, Jetfire. Though he did disappear many eons ago, he was the most well respected of scientists on 'Life on other planets', on Cybertron. Thundercracker looked up to him a great deal. It's too bad his cousin Starscream did not.

" What do you plan to with the boy once you get him?" he asked

" I don't want to spoil the surprise for you." sneered Starscream " Let's just say it falls under the human saying " Let the punishment fit the crime.".

" But, he killed Megatron for you, you should be grateful. Now you have an obstacle out of your way."

" Megatron was to die in my hands, not that boy's! He robbed me of that victory and thanks to him, we have lost the only hope of ever repopulating our species again! He has doomed us all, and he will pay dearly for it!" shouted the Seeker

" We would have lost the Allspark to the Autobots anyways."

" I want my revenge on him! Finish that creation and sent it to Earth! I want that boy's blood spilled for all it's worth! Unless you're planning to stop me!"

" I think the way you're going about it is wrong. We'd be wasting time, and energy to go find some insect of a being. I say we seize control of the Decepticons while Soundwave is still acting as Megatron's co-commander. He still thinks we're dead, and with Laserbeak as our hostage, we may have a chance to attack him and gain our rightful place."

Suddenly Laserbeak began to screech, flapping it's wings frantically, trying to break free of it's bonds. Starscream gave it a swift kick, before it fell to it's side.

" Shut up! No matter how much you try to escape, it will be in vain. Your master will not know of our plan." shouted Starscream

Laserbeak screeched again in an angry tone, before a light on it's head lit up, sending out a small buzzing sound. Thundercracker pressed it, and out popped a holographic screen, containing both a written message and a soundclip. His optics lit up in surprise.

" It's a transmission...wait..this is..this can't be." he said

" What is it?" asked Starscream

" It's Megatron." he said, scrolling down the message from his leader.

" Megatron is dead!"

" You think so? Read this, it's Cybertronian. It's a message to the remaining Decepticons on Earth." he said " He's alive and he's at some human settlement called Vern Base."

" And calling for the retrieval of a human female? Odd..Are you sure this is him, it doesn't seem like his style." questioned Starscream

" There is no mistaking the faint energy signal emitting from this. Its him."

" If he's at a base...then...he might be injured. Perhaps completely helpless." smiled Starscream " Oh, how perfect. My chance to kill him myself may not be lost after all!"

" Now Starscream, before we jump into things, we should do a little re..." warned Thundercracker

" Change of plans! Forget about that Pretender, drop it and we shall go to Earth. I want to pay our glorious leader a little visit."

" Ah, and I was almost done too. I wanted to name her after a human book I read called Alice in..."

" Thundercracker!"

" Alright, alright. One thing though, what about Laserbeak?" he asked. He figured it wouldn't be wise to leave the bird mech here alone, it would have to come with them to Earth.

" He's fulfilled his purpose to us....shoot him." said Starscream dismissively.

" Starscream! That's..."

" That was an order, not a suggestion! Or would you rather take his place?"

" No." he said sadly. But he didn't want this either. The bird mech had done nothing to deserve death. Plus, this "mech" was a femme, though he didn't tell Starscream about it. She maybe even one of the last.

" Then follow through your order. As your future leader, I command that you shoot him. Is that understood?"

" U..understood sir." He turned to the bird, arm gun raised. It was laying on it's side, wings bound and staring at him pleadingly, just before a shot rang out. " I'm sorry."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Author's notes**: Not much action here, I know...but hey, at least Mikaela got away from Barricade, and even extorted a former follower of Megatron to give her a lift. Pretty good way to start the morning, eh? And I want to officially announce that I have a co-writer! Remember SylentNyte who made those fantastic fan arts for the story? Well, she's now helping me with the story's humor! This chapter marks her debut, and full credit goes to her and her writing of "Blackout's extortion scene". That's one of the reasons I had to stall this story so much as well. The wait was well worth I believe.

And it looks like things have gone from bad to worse for Megs. He's reverting back slowly but surely and its not a pretty sight. I hope Maggie gets to that base soon, or there's not going to be much of a human man left in him. And do I sense a love triangle? I don't just support Maggie/Megatron folks, I support Maggie/Optimus too! Although, I don't think I'll elaborate on it, just hint at it. And then Sam's encounter with another Cybertronian God/artifact and the strange symbol on his hand? Eep! What's going to happen with that? And now Starscream and Thundercracker are coming to Earth! Let's hope Megs doesn't get recognized by his former second in command! And poor Laserbeak! That wasn't an easy thing to write, as he's my favorite of Soundwave's creations.

On another note, are you curious to know what happened to Barricade and his "girl stuff" run? Here's a blooper folks! Enjoy!

**Blooper:**

It read 4 AM on his internal clock as he clutched on to several large boxes (large by human standards) of tampons, soda, and twinkies that he had stolen just now. He hid behind a large brick wall, waiting for the delivery truck men to turn their backs for a second. He had nearly missed getting caught by two humans who were looking for the stolen merchandise from their truck.

" I could have sworn we had those in here. Check the list, they should be in there, I even loaded them up." said the first delivery man

" Nothing. Are you sure you did?" said the second, getting into the back of the truck to check again.

" Very sure. Now that's just strange."

Barricade chuckled to himself, as he loaded the boxes into his cab. Organics were such primitive and stupid creatures however, considered the lateness of the time, and the sign that the Earth's life giving star would rise, he had better hurry back to the old hotel. He hoped that the female organic wasn't bleeding everywhere like she had said to him before. He cringed and thanked Primus that he wasn't in Frenzy's place at the moment. That poor slagging 'con. What had he gotten himself into?

As he headed back on the freeway towards the state limits, he noticed a slightly familiar black helicopter in the air. For a split second, he could have sworn that was Blackout. But then he remembered that Blackout had been destroyed in the Mission City battle. It couldn't be him, and besides, the Decepticon signal he just sent out, wasn't replied to. If he had been Blackout, he would have answered it right away. Barricade dismissed the flying machine, and within a few miles, he had made it back to the hotel. However, something felt off about it. He noticed three things amiss. There was a ladder reaching up to the room window that the human female was staying in, the laptop he stole for Frenzy was gone, and there was suspiciously large footprints in the mud that didn't belong to him. Suddenly he realized he had been, as the humans called it, ditched.

" FRRRRREEEEENNNNZZZY!!!!!"

Back to the black helicopter...

" My a-audio receptors are r-ringing." said Frenzy, shaking his angular head a bit.

" You know there's a saying in my culture, that if your ears are ringing, it means someone is talking about you." said Mikaela


	23. Crush and burn

She wasn't expecting the ride to be that long, but apparently, Barricade brought her much farther from the city than she thought. She laughed with Frenzy about the whole 'Tampon' run he was probably still on, and the awful surprise he was going to get when he found out they were both gone. Blackout caught a bit of the conversation and chuckled to himself as well, responding that Barricade wasn't exactly the sharpest tool in the shed. After said laughter, both human and electrical, she wondered if the Decepticons ever had moments like this amongst themselves, inbetween the chaos and destruction they rained down on mankind. It made her wonder if these moments might be a peek into a what-if the Decepticons hadn't followed Megatron. Maybe, just maybe, it wasn't so hardwired into them to be evil. If they were truly evil at all.

" So, what you guys have against humans?" asked Mikaela, holding Frenzy on her shoulder, and tuning out his usual hyper chattering.

" I don't have anything against humans. Unless they...what was that phrase..."piss me off"? Yes. Unless they piss me off, I don't have any problems with them. The Autobots are our true enemies, your species is just background collateral damage." answered Blackout

" Am I..uh..pissing you off? Just curious." she asked

He snorted " No, you just border on the annoying thankfully. Seeing you is giving me doubts about what I heard about your species from my comrades. I thought all humans were hostile, violent and prone to attack like a Proto-gearbug to a Sparkmite. Frenzy seems to be right about trusting you, though that doesn't put me at ease much. He's always been a bit odd for a Decepticon."

" So what's his story? You were sent to attack and steal data, what did Frenzy do?" she said, at the same time wondering what the hell was a Proto-whatever and a Mite-something.

" Frenzy was built by Soundwave as a spy. He was paired with Barricade upon the orders of Megatron after his twin, Rumble was killed in another incident in Shanghai. He infiltrated and bugged your communication systems and let us land undetected on your planet. Beyond that, he's just an infuriating little glitch with a smart mouth." spat Blackout

Frenzy flicked his metal digits toward the front of the helicopter that looked like he was flipping him off. Mikaela chuckled.

" I was ready to be attacked by your kind, upon studying your wars and battle history. But I wasn't prepared for the sabot rounds you used on us. I lost my partner Scorpnok during that tussle. He was a good friend. I don't think I can forgive your kind of what they did to him."

" Hey, you attacked us first, you deserved whatever you got back!" she retorted

" Wrong. You fired first. We were there to access your data, not outright attack. Which is why I destroyed that base in Qatar as a message to not provoke my wrath!"

" You have to see it from our point of view too you know! You're aliens to us. Giant robot aliens! We as a race have never come in contact with other intelligent lifeforms before. especially ones as big as you guys. We don't know if that first contact will be friendly or not, so we can't take chances!"

" There will never be friendly contacts, if word gets out to the rest of the galaxy that you attack first, and ask questions later."

" Not if alien robots like you come to Earth and try to take over!"

" Not take over. We were sent here to Earth because we were following a signal of distress from Megatron. We were sent to retrive him. He was the one who ordered we take over your planet once he possessed the Allspark. So don't be blaming us for his ill planned assult. Thank Primus he's offline now.." he said " Still, this doesn't change the fact that humans are violent, hostile creatures to both good or bad beings. We can't take chances with your kind either."

Mikela made a bit of a face when she heard Megatron was "offline" He was about as on-line as you could get, thought, she didn't expect them to know that. " If they only knew..." she thought

" Hey, there's also the minority like me. I didn't attack you right?" she said " When I met Optimus for the first time, I didn't attack him. In fact, I didn't feel threatened by him at all once he spoke. He seemed very fatherly to me and..."

The helicopter hitched in the air, almost to a full stop. Frenzy was thrown from her shoulders and landed on her lap. She noticed the dashboard consol suspiously began to look like a bunch of angry eyes. Red flaming angry eyes.

" You know Optimus Prime?!" he roared

" Uh..not personally." she said nervously. Something in his tone screamed to her that he was not a happy Decepticon.

" Frenzy! She's an Autobot ally?!" he shouted, causing the poor little bot to huddle againest Mikaela's back

" Yes?" replied the little bot

" You little glitch head! Why didn't you tell me!?"

" I have a feeling I'm in a very dangerous situation now." she mumbled

" You better believe you are, missy! I don't help Autobot allies!" he shouted

Frenzy cut him off with a retort, from what Mikaela could only guess was their native language. Blackout replied in the same way. And from their tone of voice, both bots seemed equally upset. Suddenly, Frenzy let open an attack on Blackout's dashboard, ripping a hole into it, and ready to rip out a few wires in the process. Blackout heeved through the air dangerously before that could be done, sending Frenzy flying into the back, while Mikaela gripped to her seat belt for dear life.

" Damn it Frenzy! What the hell is going on!?" she shouted

" C-called you a worth l-less th-thousand year old c-cyanoacrylate!" he spat

" A what? I don't even know what that is! But you need to stop whatever it is you're doing, because we're gonna crash!"

" He w-want to t-toss out!" said Frenzy, holding on to her.

" Oh really?! Hey! That wasn't part of the deal, Blackout!" she shouted, giving the dashboard a nasty look.

" To the pit with the deal! You never said you worked for the Autobots! Anyone who's on their side is as good as dead to me!" he shouted, one of his main doors opened, and she could feel her seat belt loosening under his control. He was really going to pitch her out in midair.....like she was going to let him.

" You toss me out and so help me I'll..." she slipped out of her seat belt, and made her way to the front, grabbing at a mass of thick blue cords sticking out of the dashboard, from Frenzy's attack. She felt the Deception shudder as he pitched dangerously about.

" Gah! Stop that! Those are very sensitive !" he shouted

" Try to toss me out now, and I'll pull them! And then we all crash together! I bet this goes to your fuel line huh?"

" A-actually it's part of his i-intimate interface c-circuitry." said frenzy

" His what?" she asked

" Slag it! Stop touching me there! You'll snap something! This is the very reason why I didn't want to let an organic inside me!" he shouted, trying to stabilize himself in the air.

His intimate..?..Oh my god!! He doesn't mean his....." Ewww!" Mikaela dropped the wires in disgust, and Frenzy giggled with electrical laughter. She shot him a dirty look.

" That's disgusting! Those little wires are connected to your.." she shouted

" They're not little!" he protested, defending his pride " And it's your fault you grabbed them!"

" I didn't know what it was until now!" she shouted just as loudly

" How can you not know what they are?!"

" I don't know anything about your anatomy!" she said feeling totally disgusted.

" Then you're a complete idiot." he said flatly

Suddenly a loud sonic boom went past them. Too fast to see at first, until it slowed, and spun slightly in the air. Frenzy watched it intentally, and Blackout huffed.

" A familiar energy signature at last. Sadly it's also belongs to one of the biggest fraggers to grace our ranks, Megatron's second in command."

" Starscream." she said in a hushed tone. Another jet roared by, only it was a different color but had almost the same body type.

" And Thunderc-cracker." said frenzy

" Hmm...I should follow them, and turn you two in as prisoners of war." he said, turning around to follow the cruising jets.

" No!" Mikaela jumped to the front again, trying to turn the steering wheel, only to find out it was locked. She eyed the bunch of blue cords again. It was a dirty move, but she wasn't about to be a captive of the Decepticons again. " Don't you dare! I'll....I'll grab them again! Intimate whatever or not, I'm not about to be handed over when I just escaped! Now you take me to Tranquility!"

" You have a lot of gyros to make that kind of demand, fleshling!" still not yielding to her, and still flying away from the city's direction.

" Turn around or I'll have Frenzy do a little open surgery on you! You may not like it, but I do have an advantage over you now. Don't deny it!" she shouted

" I will not be ordered around by a little insignificant germ like you!" roared Blackout

" Turn around..." she demanded, tightening her grip on the delicate wires, which made him wince. " Now!"

The human was dead serious and horrifyingly right. She had a huge advantage over him, and it had been his fault for reacting to her touch in the first place, let alone Frenzy's insight into the anatomy of a Cybertronian mech. It was embarrassing, and gravely serious at the same time, he had little choice but to turn back. He had already lost his sight, and damaged one of his limbs. His mechhood was now at state, and Primus be damned he wasn't going to lose that! Though he had to admit...she was quite the extortionist. From the hotel, to this frame of time...she knew how to hit where it hurt, and made no bluffs. Had she been a Cybertronian femme, she would have been quite a force to recon with, even more if she had been a Decepticon. She had the right skills and attitude to pull it off. A pity she was a flesh based creature. Wordlessly, he turned around, tuning into his internal maps as his only guide.

" We should be there in half in an hour. I will drop you off, but that's the extent of my help to you. If you get captured again, don't come crying to me, got it?"

" Shut up, and fly. I'm not in the mood to hear your little speeches." she said, still gripping the wires, and trying not to think what they were for.

" Frenzy, I take it back...humans are so violent. And you picked the most infuriating one yet!" he growled. The little blue mech, snorted and curled on top of the seat watching Mikaela. If he could smile, he would. How he loved this squishy's determination to live.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Ratchet?" Called William Lennox down the main hall.

A two large mechs stood inside an airplane hanger, out of sight from the outside world. Several nurses were already setting up white screens

"Will, where is he?" asked Ratchet

" He's here." motioned Will to the man in the wheelchair

" Let's get this over with." mumbled Megatron, climbing out, still clutching his injured shoulder and sitting on the large table that Ratchet was given to work with. Never before had he known such pain, as the sensations shot through him, making him tremble. How he wished he was in his old body again, he'd simply turn down his pain receptors and function through it. Just another thing he hated about being human.

" Let me see the damage." said Ratchet. Megatron revealed the wound to him, and his optics lit up. It wasn't as bad as he thought it would be, but it was still pretty severe. It needed to be treated quickly to stop any infection. Especially for someone who's body has never known any human illness or sickness...yet.

Ratchet called to a nurse nearby. " Yes?" asked the nurse below him.

" I'll need you get me some sterilization fluids, plastic tubing, bandages and a mild pain killer."

The nurse looked confused, but went ahead to get the things he asked for. Megatron was directed by Ratchet to lay on his stomach as he did a scan on the man's body.

" There's a energon clot near your right shoulder blade that I will need to siphon off. The tubing should do the trick, but I don't expect to last that long. It's not exactly based to handle direct energon."explained Ratchet

" Here are the things you asked for, will you need anything else?" said the nurse, placing the objects on a small fold-up table.

" No, and I'd prefer you stay clear of this area until I call for you again. The purple fluid you see here is highly poisonous to humans."

" I see, I'll be on standby in the next room." and with that, the nurse walked out of the screen-off area.

Ratchet had already set to work. Sterilizing the wound, and injecting him with a pain killer. When it kicked in, He made a small incision to reveal the growing metal rod sticking from the shoulder blade.

" Megatron, do you feel pain in any other part of your body?" asked Ratchet

" No, just my shoulder. It also feels heavy."

" There's metal growing out of your shoulder blade, it seems fused in. According to my scanners the metal is made up of two ores, earth based iron and Cybertronium. No doubt the molecular structure is being changed somewhere inbetween."

" Why is this happening now?" he asked "I'm not even in the presence of other Decepticons."

" Beats me. It might be that your DNA is unstable, and trying to revert itself back to it's original state. Or it could be the Allspark poking fun at you again."

" You don't seem very surprised by this." said Megatron

" ....I'm not."

Silence....

" You knew, didn't you?"

" I did." replied Ratchet

" You pit-spawned fragger." spat Megatron

That earned him a good hit on his shoulder, and made him howl in pain.

" Why did you do that?! I'm in pain!" he roared

" A little more doesn't matter! Now shut it! I'm trying to see where I'll have to split the bone and metal."

" You're doing what?!"

" To slow the process down, we need to take the metal out. It's the root, it's spreading."

Spreading? Root? What was this now, a kind of plant? Megatron was getting pretty sick and tired of his human body doing weird stuff on it's own. He half expected the Allspark to show up, just to taunt and tease him, then quickly disappear before he could give it what-for.

" Can you stop the process?" he asked

" There is no way to stop it, but again I can slow it down by extracting it." said Ratchet

" Then why are you hesitant?"

" Because, I'm surprised you want to stop it. One would think you'd want to speed it up, so you can return to your true form faster. But then, not everyone knows you harbor feelings for a human woman."

" That has nothing to do with it.."

" Oh? So you're still in denial I see." smiled Ratchet " How's that working for you? You do realize she's on her way here with your dear sibling."

Megatron's eyes lit up. " She's coming here?! With Optimus? Why wasn't I informed of this?" he shouted

" You are now."

" But...why?"

" She's worried about you, why should she not come see you?" asked the Medic

" I don't want her to see me in this state, and I really don't want to speak to her. I still haven't quite...forgiven her for what happened."

" All she did was follow human instinct, there's nothing wrong about that."

" She was holding me down and trying to mate with me!" he growled

" And you reacted to it, and now you're upset."

" I hate the feeling of not being in control, especially in my own body!"

Ratchet let out a chuckle " Still the same stubborn, and arrogant Lord High Protector I knew before the war. Always having to be in control. Always dominating and calling the shots. There's a electro-psychological disorder with those same characteristics."

" ....I hate you."

" Tell me something I don't know."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sam was sitting on the campus quad, juggling with his cellphone and a poptart that he managed to nab before his Dad made him sit down to a "Good old-fashioned hungry man breakfast",which was made with enough applesauce to make a horse puke. Thank god for back doors and fast excuses. His Mom followed suit and took off to go do "girl things" for the rest of the day. Dad would have to eat his hungry man breakfast by himself. And he would too!

" Come on, Bee. Answer it." he said. He had called Bumblebee three times, and was seriously getting worried about him. Why won't he pickup? Did something happen? Did a Decepticon...

'No! Clear those bad thoughts Witwicky, nothing happened. He's probably doing something really important with the others. After all, giant robots need social time with other giant robots, and probably got tired of humans after , let's go with that. The first bell rang, and he shut off his cellphone. Off to his first class, digital design, not his favorite, but he needed the elective for the college he was going to get into.

Getting to the class, he found the front seats taken, the middle seats were filled with girls putting on their faces, and the back was most likely filled with idiots. He spotted an empty seat next one guy with a cat calender sticking out of his backpack. Sam found that a bit odd, but there was no where else to sit.

" This seat taken?" he asked

"Nope, but if a pretty mamasita comes in, you sit on the ground." replied the guy

" Sure whatever." said Sam putting his backpack by his feet, then looking over at calender. " Cats?"

" Yeah, they make a good business with the ladies. They love little gatos...Why? You interested in buying one? Give one to your girlfriend."

" No,...no thank you.I was just looking."

" Oh okay." he said " You uh...techie?"

" No. You?"

" Nah, just using the resources here. See those scanners in the back. I'm making 50 copies of these kitties, all free."

" Not for the school." replied Sam

" The way I see it. The school is trying to give us a head start in finding our career right? A few scanned items isn't going to matter much, right? These kitty calendars are my head start, until I pay for my own domain online and start the real deal."

" Real deal?"

"The real effing deal, a website dedicated to exposing the truth! I'm going to run it someday. You know that whole Mission City incident?" he asked.

Sam stayed silent. 'Oh man...dont' tell me he was there.'

" With those giant freakin robots fighting and crashing into stuff, like something out of Gundam Wing? Well, I have video proof that wasn't just some government rouge robots...nah...these things were living things. Like some kind of...aliens or something. And check this out. Look at that big black robot alien, the one with the huge ass gun for an arm. Watch what happens..." the boy turned on a mini video camera with a screen.

That big black robot alien was Ironhide. The shaky camera began capturing footage of fire, missles, and total destruction of the buildings. Things Sam remembered first hand, but was trying to forget. The next clip showed the same robot he knew, suddenly bending and twisting into his alt form, and drive away. Then the clip stopped. Leo had a look of pure bliss on his face. As if he had in his possession, a private personal X-rated video of a supermodel.

" That alien robot disappeared, right? Wrong! He changed! These things can take other forms, cars, jets, tanks, you name it. Crazy, right? What if they changed into people? We could be sitting right next to an alien, and wouldn't even know it. Our teacher could be an alien!"

" No, Mr. Spitz, I'm an American citizen now...so could you pay attention and turn on your computer and start the lesson? You too Mr. Witwicky." said their computer teacher.

" Yes, Ms. Herdandez " they both said

" Witwicky?" asked the boy

" It's Sam Witwicky."

" Leo Spitz....Wait, are you related to that one guy who went to the north, saw something freaky and went loco?"

" You mean the..uh...Arctic expedition?" he said. Carefully veering as far away from aliens or robots as he could.

" Yeah! Was he a relative to you? Not too many Witwickys out there, you know."

"He was my grandfather."

" Sweet, we got something in common then." he smiled

" What?"

" My great uncle was his navigator."

Sam froze. Was it merely coincidence that he met this guy, or was it part of the elaborate cosmic joke he was part of. Sam scratched the Cybertronian symbol on his absentmindedly under his sleeve, sending a small spark out of it. The spark landed on his computer, and its mouse began to move..

" Class, if you would click on Lesson 32 on your Digital Design folder, you'll see a PSD file labeled tabtar. Open it in Photoshop CS4."

Sam turned to his computer to proceed with the lesson, and realized his mouse wasn't cooperating with him.

" My computer isn't working..." said Sam to Leo

" Restart it, it probably froze." he replied

" No, I mean, the mouse won't even move, but that little icon on the corner is moving. I think the mouse needs to be replaced."

" Tell the teacher." whispered Leo. Sam nodded and raised his hand.

" Ms. Hernandaz? My mouse doesn't work, can I have a new one?"

The lab teacher walked towards him with a confused expression. " I was on your computer this morning. The mouse was working fine." she said. She grabbed the mouse to test it out herself, failing to notice what was happening to it.

" Hmm..strange." she remarked. Suddenly the mouse, which was already growing tiny limbs from it's back, sprung up on the unsuspecting teacher, and wrapped it's now free cord around her wrist. The teacher shrieked in horror. The other students began turning toward to the commotion, unaware of what was happening until a young blond girl screamed...

" The mouse it alive!"

" What the hell?! It's like...one of those things!" shouted Leo, putting as much distance as he could from that thing. " I told you! You see? Those things are everywhere, man! I bet it was listening to us the whole time! I should have brought my camera! This is ace!"

" Get it off of me!" cried the teacher. Trying to shake off the little electrical monstrosity from her hand. The demon mouse was trying just as hard to stay on, much like a crab from the sea, holding on to it's victim with it's claws. Sam, being used to these kind of strange situations, had managed to calm down enough to try to find the nearest thing he could use to beat the creature that was violating his teacher's hand. Grabbing Leo's stack of kitty calenders, he beat the mouse senseless, and watched it drop off and disappear into the further recesses classroom. All while thinking how ironic it was that a "mouse" was beaten by a "cat. By then, most of the students were either too horrified to stay in class any longer, or they were huddled on their chairs in fear. Leo had sat the poor frightened teacher down, and she was near tears.

" Shhh! Quiet, that thing is still in here. Everyone..." said Sam. The students were scared of what was of terrorism and ghosts intermixed in their chattering and speech. Sam yelled again, and this time grabbed the attention of his classmates.

" Hey! I'm trying to help! Now listen to me. This thing is still here, I want anyone to come around the back, and walk out the door. I'm going to trap this thing in here, but I don't want you gaining it's attention by running, Okay?"

With the classroom and it's remaining students calm but still on edge. Sam ushered out one student at a time through the door, being careful to watch the ground and ceiling (just in case it would climb), for the mini Decepticon. Sam had to admit, he was impressed with his attitude towards this, and how well he was keeping things in order. 'Maybe that whole roller coaster of a ride with the Autobots and Mission City is helping me keep my head on." he thought. After everyone was sent out, the teacher and Leo were the last two out, then just him. He closed the door behind him, and was surprised to be given the keys by his teacher who was now more calmer. Sam grabbed them, and proceeded to trap the creature inside.

" It's locked. I just hope it stays in there." he said, giving the keys back

" I called 911, Ms. Herdandez." said a guy in the back, the teacher nodded, then turned toward Sam.

" Thank you, Sam. You kept everything in control. I'm surprised how well you were able to handle this."

" Yeah..." said Leo suspiciously and allowing the teacher to wander towards her scared students " ...So am I."

Sam caught his inflection. But he didn't plan to stay to anwser any questions that he *knew*, Leo would ask. When Leo wasn't looking, Sam simply ran. Where? He didn't know at first, but he found himself at the front gate of the school, cellphone whipped out, and on speed dial to a certain yellow Camaro.

" Bee! Please answer me!"

Unaware that his scratching of the symbol on his hand was the cause of the birth of the previous mini bot, he scratched it again, only this time he noticed the spark from it. It jumped from him to his cell phone. A small sound akin to Bumblebee's own transformation was heard, only it sounded like it was on helium. Sam watched as his cellphone transformed into a mantis-like robot, and hopped out of his hand to the bench Sam was sitting on. It's body was a sleek silver and red, with a set of striking blue optics and a pair of intimidating blades for fore arms. Sam was ready to attack it with a heavy text book, but noticed it was looking around itself in confusion. Like it was lost.

" Hey Sam!" called a familiar voice. Sam winced. It was Leo. Great, just what he needed. He tried to hide the mini robot, but it skittered away from him, hopping off the bench and landing unceremoniously on it's back. Chirping in a high pitch tone furiously, as it's tiny legs flailed helplessly in the air.

" Oh wow! Another one?!" shouted Leo, getting way too close to it, only to be pulled by Sam away from it.

" Leo just...! Get away from it! That thing can rip off your face!" said Sam. The creature was trying to get itself off the ground, only to fall back down again. It wasn't yet strong enough to get away from the two scary-looking giants staring at it. It did the next best thing it could do. It let out various ringtones in fear and anger. Leo's eyes softened.

" Poor little thing, it's scared." he stooped down, much to Sam's dismay, and scooped the little bot up. It didn't dare move, and lay on Leo's hand, still crying a barrage of ringtones.

" Leo, put it down. I think it's trying to call others of it's kind." said Sam,thinking of that evil mouse-bot locked in the classroom." It's evil."

" If it wanted to, it would have attacked us already. This little one doesn't seem to want to harm us. Right little guy?" said Leo

" Leo, you're talking to a robot bug. It probably doesn't even understand you."

" ¿Habla usted español?" he asked the little creature, and received a little chirp in response.

" Hey! It understands Spanish,so that's a start." he said " Plus, this one has blue eyes."

" What does that have to do with anything?" said Sam, looking around for a pay phone or something. He was tempted to go into the school office to borrow one.

" I've seen that the good ones...they have blue eyes. This one has it too. That's just a pattern I noticed." said Leo, referring to his video.

Sam begged to differ, remembering a crazed and demented Decepticon by the name of Frenzy, who sported blue eyes as well. Though looking at his former cellphone, being petted with Leo's fingers, it didn't seem like a Decepticon. Maybe Leo was right. It seemed much too gentle and fearful to be anything evil.

" It's kind of cute...in a robotic killer bug kind of way." said Leo, watching the creature scuttle up his shirt and stay near his neck. He smiled,and looked at Sam. " Can I keep it?"

" Why are you asking me that?"

" 'Cuz it was you cell phone. I doubt your provider is gonna cover this." he joked " But what gets me is, why are these things coming out now? First it was your mouse, now your phone...I think they're coming out around *you* for some reason."

" Coincidence." replied Sam, spotting a payphone. He hated to admit that he was right...they were coming from him, or rather that symbol on his hand.

" Sure it is. And the fact you're related to Captain Archibald Witwicky who...by the way, found something *alien* in the Artic...doesn't mean a thing. I think you know more than you let on, Sam."

" Don't know what you're talking about."he replied, not even bothering to listen anymore beyond this point. He wasn't going to get someone else involved, especially someone he just met today. Right now, his thoughts were centered on why a spark shot out of his hand. What did it mean? He knew the Allspark had done something similar to a vending machine and an X-Box...but now he was doing things like that too. His thoughts were interrupted by a firm hand grabing the back of his shirt.

" Don't ignore me, Witwicky! I'm not stupid!" shouted Leo, losing patience, and causing the poor little cell-bot to hide under his shirt from his tone of voice. " If there's one thing I can boast about, is that I can pick up patterns really fast! You were amazingly calm when that robot attacked the teacher. And you're even calm now with this little bug. Like...you...like its no big thing! Like its an everyday thing for you!"

" Well what about you? You seem pretty calm you.." before Sam finished, he noticed the loud sound of an engine and the thumping of propelling blades. In his sight, a large black government helicopter was flying directly towards them. He recognized the gaudy Sector Seven symbol smack on the side of it. They were in some deep trouble. Sam had a feeling he should have stayed later at home to help his old man eat that breakfast. Too bad he couldn't travel through time.

" Tell me those are friends of yours." said Leo

" I wouldn't say 'friends'." grumbled Sam.

" Sam Witwicky. A pleasure to see you again." said a familiar voice belong to a familiar looking man who's head was leaning down to see them below. The greeting, even though he smiled, was anything but a warm one.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

" Damn it!" yelled Megatron, biting his lip from the pain of being stitched up from his surgery. " I swear the Allspark is laughing his pompous ass off at me right now!"

" You're starting to sound like a human." smiled Ratchet

" I am human!" he growled, but then added quickly " ...Currently."

" I mean, you're picking up their slang. Though I don't blame you, it's so much more expressive than our language, don't you think? Especially for the insults." smirked the medic

" I rather speak in my own tongue."

Humoring him, Ratchet spoke a bit of Cybertronian that he'd be familiar with. " _As the Golden light of Primus shines forever upon those who wish to serve others_..."

" ..._We will keep it's law for as long as there is time_." answered Megatron without missing a beat. He snorted and replied in English " That's the old vows of the Elite Guard. You sure are behind the times."

" You have a different accent in Cybertronian." noted Ratchet

" So I've been told. It's The Language of the Primes."

" The same as Optimus. I thought you two were not biologically related?"

Megatron sat up, staring with deadly intent at Ratchet. His eyes glowed blood red for a split second. Reminiscent of his old self.

" We **are** related! Where did you hear **that**?!" he roared

" It's true isn't it? Your spark signatures don't quite...match. I've found out some time ago when I scanned you. Why are you taking offense?"

" Optimus is my younger brother! We are from the** same **origin! Don't forget that!" he shouted " Are you finished with the stitches?"

" I'm finished, but you should stay here and..."

" I can do whatever the hell I want, Autobot!" spat Megatron. Ratchet's arm was pushed aside, with quite a bit of force, and the man hopped off the medical bed and down the nearest hallway.

" ....Do as you wish." grumbled Ratchet, as he began to clean up the area and take down the white stand ups around the area. He noticed Ironhide come around the back, accidentally knocking one over.

" So the rumor is true?" asked Ironhide, who obviously overheard the discussion and trying to stand the flimsy object of fabric and metal. Ratchet took it from him and placed it with the others in a pile for the humans to take.

" Yes, but to him, it's nothing more than dark rumors. He doesn't believe a word of it. Perhaps it's for the best. Megatron is only Optimus' half brother. Thus, he isn't considered a Prime." replied Ratchet " That's one reason why he hated his father and Optimus so much."

" Does Optimus know?"

" As far as I know, no. He doesn't. They were never told the truth."

" I don't pity him. Megapain would make one lousey Prime for one thing.....Bumblebee hasn't returned?" asked Ironhide, bringing up more important matters.

" Haven't been able to contact him, no-one has."

" He's still out there,searching for the girl then."

" It's already morning. I have a feeling she..." started Ratchet

" Don't get negative around me. You may be a doctor, taught only to tell the hard truth, but at least have some hope. Barricade hasn't contacted us yet, there still might be some time. And if that girl is anything like her mate...she's probably escaped."

" Your optimistic views astound me sometimes."

" I've been around long enough to see dead-ends on our side, become wings of freedom in a sparkbeat. The same can go for humans too."

" I only hope you're right."

At that time, a young female solider approached the two mechs, a little scared of their size, and unsure of how to address them. " Um...Mr. Ironhide, sir?"

" Just Ironhide, what is it?" he said looking down at the human woman.

" Your leader, Optimus Prime...he's arrived."

" About time." smiled Ratchet

" Thank you,..." Ironhide didn't remember catching her name.

" Lieutenant Marissa Fairborn, sir." she saluted him formally

" Thank you, Ms. Fairborn." he nodded in return

" Just Marissa." she smiled, feeling more at ease around the large robotic aliens with their almost human gesture.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Frenzy was laying on his squishy lap for the course of the trip, looking out of the small window on occasion. It had become a habit of his to mentally call her " His squishy", but only because it was true. She was his, and his alone. His intelligent, clever, and pretty human pet. Though oddly enough, he felt as if she was his master instead. Perhaps it was because he had become lenient with her, and she became spoiled. No matter, so long as she was happy, and didn't anger their current transportation. He played with her hair casually, and found himself fascinated by it, nothing in his species had a comparison to it. Her hair seemed to be like thin filaments, like soft brown wires or minuscule fiber optics. Cascading down her shoulders, and back. Sure he had seen many humans with the same material, but he never had the chance to touch it and study it. However, it wasn't just her hair that caught his curiosity. No, it was her entire body. The cuvature, the fabrics she wore, the fact most of the same parts human had were all on the same spots some of his race had. What an interesting parallel. Give or take a lack of a second set of optics in his case.

Organics in particular had always been a bit gross, but intriguing to him. Everything that made them, was soft, squishy and easily damaged. Skin could tear, hair can rip, organs can fail. The human body was quite an easily breakable thing, though he was amazed at how humans could repair themselves to a point. Much like his own species did. All on it's own. New skin formed, new hair grew, and sometimes, but not always, organs could recover from small damages. Every thing in their bodies renewed and changed on a daily basis. It was an intriging thing and yet another parallel. One thing that caught his attention was the huge set of lumps jutting out of her chest. Catching his attentiononly because of their seemingly useless placement. Oh he knew what they were, being one of the few 'Cons who liked to browse the Earth's databanks. They were breasts. Human males had quite an obsession with them. 'Maybe because they lacked a set of their own.' he thought curiously. He was considered a 'male', in Earth terms. But her breasts did nothing for him. Maybe you had to be a human to appreciate them.

He noticed that her eyelids were closed. Upon further inspection, he heard a soft snore. Ah, the human was recharging. She must be tired, and having those memory slideshows, what were they called? Humans spoke of it often with great enthusiasm....oh "Dreams!". Was she having dreams? What were they like? The only way he'd know, was if he became human himself. Though that thought completely disgusted him. To become a human, was to give up his higher place on the evolutionary scale. To live as a being with a much lower intelligence and an extremely short lifespan. He was curious, but he wasn't that curious. Still, he mused over what that would be like. Maybe his pet would pay more attention to him, give him more of those strange, but soothing gestures. If he was human, his arm would be soft to her touch. There would be no danger of her fingers being sliced by his blades. But then, what was it like to actually have flesh? It was an completely alien concept, and he didn't ponder any further into it. To do so, would like a fish pondering the ability to fly. No...not even that. Birds and fish were both organic. He ended that thought process, it was becoming too absurd.

He had lied to her, about being grateful that she saved him from Barricade's wrath. It would take a lot more than just being tossed out a window, to kill him. Though, he still was thankful for her concern over his well being. Not many of his faction cared that much for him, if at all. The real reason he helped her, was because it was a way to escape his situation. The human girl offered this to him, and he didn't even have to beg. Oh sure, he could have abandoned Barricade at anytime during their drives around the city, but there was no where he could go. He was an alien in a world that didn't know of his existence, surrounded by beings that feared things that were different than themselves. If found, no doubt he'd be killed by those primitive beings. There was no place in society that would accept him, and as much as he hated Barricade's abuse...he hated being alone even more. So he stayed, waiting until an opportunity presented itself. Silently loathing his 'partner', and the symbol he wore proudly on his right door. That symbol once meant something to him, but now that his leader Megatron was dead, it only mocked him. He hated what his faction had become. Cowardly, always in hiding, always watching their backs. How he longed for the days of killing at random, causing chaos and havoc. Being feared and respected as creatures that were much more advanced and intelligent.

"How low we have fallen."he thought. But then, what did he make of his human pet? He promised to protect her, but how far would he go, and for how long? Why did he even promise such a thing in the first place? He grumbled, pulled away from her. He felt a slight hate of her. She was clouding his programming, and his thoughts drifted into What-ifs. No. She was a lowly human. One who could easily be killed with a flick of his wrist. Suddenly she moved in her sleep, causing the little 'Con to react by steadying himself on her lap. The sharp edges of his armor brushed against her, cutting strands of her hair accidentally.

" Oh shit!" he silently cursed. He froze. Did she feel that? She made no sound, her breathing was steady. Maybe she was too deeply asleep. Unless she had no sensory equipment in it. She was unharmed. 'Wait...ugg!'. She was doing it again to him. Making him think of her safety. Why did he even care? She was a being out of several billion on this planet. If she got killed, there was always more to choose from. He didn't want to get attached to her, but somehow, she managed to get under his armors and past his firewalls. Like a virus, attacking him, and embedding comfortably in his systems. The word "Attack" triggered his spy programming Bright blue eyes lit, and out flicked a single blade from his long fingers, tracing the tip against Mikaela's soft and suble throat, just lightly enough to whisper on her flesh. One quick cut, and he could end her life in a nanosecond. She let out a sigh, and smiled, unaware in her sleep of the armed creature hovering above her. Just one...little cut. That's all it would take. How easy it would be to end....no! He stopped, and instead of following through his programming, he allowed the blade to lightly travel up, past her chin, to her cheek, and with the greatest delicacy, dance on her bottom lip before retracting into a small hidden panel on his wrist.

' She's still an interesting pet, and so long as she remains so, I'll keep her alive a bit longer.'

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Author's notes:

Parts 1 and 3 were co-written by Sylentnyte, so proper credit goes to her and her amusing sense of humor. Seems Mikaela can be just brutal as her "Uncle" Megatron when it comes to keeping the Decepticons in line. Maybe she *is* related to him in some way. I also personally loved how fluidly Lotte bridged the first and second movie characters together. Never thought to add Leo Spitz in the story, it adds to the alternate storyline, since events in the second movie, are happening much earlier. Leo's website hasn't been created yet, and Simmons still has his job. She also took a few liberties with Leo's character, making him not so stupid, and being the nephew of the navigator of Sam's great grandfather. So they have a common history, instead of being just comic relief. Then Sam has become a kind of Allspark, and two mini bots have been made because of it. One an Autobot (hopefully) and one a definite Decepticon. I want a tiny cell-phone robot for my own now, it sounds really cute.

As for Megs condition, I'm taking some advice and slowing it down for him (well ain't he lucky). I want to write a sugary sweet Maggie and Megatron moment again, since they're going to reunite next chapter, and I don't want him reverting back before she has her dirty way with him. I'm so evil. So which will it be Megs? Lose your humanity, or your virginity? Chose wisely, you only get one shot! I also had a tough time researching the relationship Optimus and Megatron have. A lot of people on the TF forums think they're not related, and a lot think they are. So I figured...why not make both theories right? Half-siblings are related to each other by one parent, so maybe that's the case with Megs and Op. Simple, no? ....Well, maybe in my

Oh and about the weird Frenzy/Mikaela moment....I'm **not** shipping them. I'm only playing around with the idea, but there's enough "Subtext" to read into, for anyone who likes that pairing. Kind of like Maggie and Optimus. Nothing will come of either one, so don't worry. As I'm stated before in many chapters, the canon couples are staying canon! Plus, Frenzy is way too much of a sadistic little bot to fall in love, and he's not fond of humans, beyond considering them as pets. Though honestly, I think the blade thing on the lips is pretty erotic in it's own way. I just noticed that. *blush* It's funny that he still does ponder over "what-if he was human..." I wonder that myself. More likely he'd be some weird guy who's into crack, hacks for a living, and has an unnatural fetish for sharp, pointy objects. And has piercings...lots of piercings! XD

Author Q&A:

**Pookiespeer**- I'm really glad you're enjoying the story and the many different points of view from the main characters. That was a big one for me, because everyone has their own say on these events. More chapters are coming, that I can assure you! I, too, wondered what he'd be like, but with such little fanfics catering to that question, I decided to write my own. Again, thanks for the encouraging comment!

**karenstern05**- Lotte has been such a doll helping me and encouraging me to continue. Her help with the story's humor, and even a bit of the drama, have been wonderful. And yes, glad you noticed the merging of the two movies. That was completely intentional, and I hope to bridge those two as a kind of slight alternate universe. Yup, the Allspark did tell him to watch him, but that boy is Sam has a small part in this first half, but his role is definitely going to be bigger later on. Megatron and Sam's fates are intertwined, and I can't wait to write those parts. I'm glad you're enjoying the story and thanks for the comment!

**Meirelle**- I have to honestly thank you for sticking with me through this whole story. Your comments are like candy, they just keep getting sweeter. I added Thundercracker in there because he's my favorite seeker as well. I based him more on his bio, as a mech who has a slight pity for humans, so I played that up. He's going to be part of a major thing with Sam later on.

**Lecidre**- I want to say from the bottom of my heart, a sincere thank you for making that lovely piece of fanart of Megatron and Maggie. It was the sweetest thing someone has ever given me. Thank you just isn't enough, seriously. As for the rest of your comment, the way Lotte wrote Blackout was damn funny. She pulled that off nicely and kept his character perfectly. I think I'm gonna ask her for pointers in writing Mikaela, because she came out shining in that chapter, as well as Frenzy, who's just the cutest thing. Barricade getting tampons,...as if he's not humiliated enough.-----Megatron's transformation back..that was a very deep scene for a fanfic that boasts to be a crackfic. I don't usually write serious stuff like that, but I felt I had to, because I wanted to explore a side to that character that is rarely seen. I think he's in the stage of regret. Sure he wants to go back to being that strong, powerful being, but the downside is losing a part of himself that he didn't even know he had, and of course Maggie. As for their relationship...Maggie is going nail him for sure. Don't worry about that. She won't let that Decepticon leader go without rolling around in the sheets at least once. *wink wink* Oh don't worry about Frenzy, he's going to be safe so long as his " Mi-ka-la" is around. Though I'd hate to see how Sam is going to react to seeing him later

**Aira Slytherin**- You're welcome and thanks! But don't worry, I'm a huge Maggie/Megatron shipper, so anything between Optimus and her is going to be really small. I don't want this being one of those awful soap-opera love triangles. And besides, if Prime stole Maggie, you can bet Megs is going to find a way to kill his brother.

**Super-chunky-monkey**- I'll say it here, I freakin LOVE your name. Makes me giggle.^^ Megs is a lovable guy, when he's not killing things. Don't worry, he'll be back to those old stubborn, and arrogant ways soon enough. Especially since ol' Screamer is going to be in the picture again.

**Veraberry09**- Thanks for your review and I'm glad you're enjoying the story. You're right though, there are so many fanfics out there that don't give Megs the love he deserves. And even less as a human, even a hologram! I've also bumped into those 1-chapter-never-finished fanfics too. It's so disappointing. I'm glad you see this fanfic maturing a bit. I didn't want it to at first. I wanted it to be stupidly funny, but the story ran away with me. But now, I'm glad it has, because it's shaping up to be pretty sweet. ------There are many sides to every war. From both the Decepticons and Autobots and Humans. How they all see one another, and think of each other...nothing is black and white. And even Decepticons have doubts of the war, and how it will end. I'm sure not all of them are happy about it. I don't know about the sex scenes having insight...but they're interesting to write. Especially in the POV of a former Decepticon leader. I really wanted to focus on his confusion about all the little cues of human love. I also just like to see him flustered too. As for the smut...heheh that's going to be so hilarious to write. Maggie is going to have a lot of fun with him.

**D. Huynh**- Frenzy/Mikaela pairing? Hope this chapter was to your liking then, as it hints toward that. Because I'm bridging the first and second movies, he'll be taking the place of Wheelie (since I hated him, no offense). Frenzy is so much more useful and resourceful...and less of a coward.


	24. Reunions and regrets

Bumblebee had turned off his comlink hours ago, but no doubt if he turned it on again, he'd get an audio-full of Ironhide over his whereabouts. Not something he really wanted to hear just now. Currently, he was tracking Sam's cellphone, and was surprised to notice the signal was traveling quite fast, faster than a car or truck. This unnerved him. If it wasn't a car he was in, then it was either an aircraft, or a train. Neither seemed to be ease his worries over Sam.

_'Please..please don't let it be a Decepticon. I already lost Mikaela, and I refuse to lose Sam!"_

He wanted to find Mikaela with the other humans, but he was told by Optimus to stay with Sam, just in case they were after him too. He didn't refuse, but he didn't like it either. Sam was his charge, but Mikaela fell under that too, at least in his own opinion. Mikaela was a wonderful human, and he quickly latched on to her when he first met her. There was something special about her, and he didn't take his time to try to get her to be Sam's mate. Even with all the danger, and chaos, she proved to him, and Sam, that she was there to stay with them. So to lose her, it was a quite a blow to his psyche. He was both relieved, but upset that he couldn't tell Sam what happened that night. No doubt the poor boy would be utterly devastated with the news.

' _Damn that Megatron. If he had just stayed out of sight.' _he hated Megatron before, but the hatred quickly became something more. If he saw that no good tyrant again he'd...well, there wasn't much he could do. Megatron was a human now, and as such, was under the circle of protection of the Autobot coda. Not to mention he was Optimus' sibling so...that didn't leave much for threats except some really good choice words for the creep.

His rader beeped, and he found the signal had now stopped just three miles away. His engine roared to life with happiness, his search was hopefully over. He kept his spirits up and his guard on standby. If it was a Decepticon, he'd no doubt, have to do battle with it. But it was worth it, for his charge, for Sam, for his 'Earth brother'.

" Hold on Sam, help is on the way!" he happily cheered, rolling down that desert highway to whatever was awaiting him beyond it.

* * *

" Frenzy, do you have any idea where a Vern Base would be?"

" Why?" asked the little silver mech, keeping watch of his human pet, as she lay sleeping again. She mentioned something about hunger, but since there was nothing for her to consume, she decided to rest a bit. Frenzy didn't know why she was hungry again, she just ate a baked plant root awhile back. Wasn't that enough? Humans sure had poor systems to reserve and store energy. Though, he was glad she didn't mention waste disposal yet.

" Got a message from Megatron, he says he's there."

A message from Megatron? But wasn't he dead? Part of him was estastic, but the other part was skeptical. Maybe it was a trick that the humans came up with, to lure rouge Decepticons into their clutches. Though that seemed to be giving the humans way too much credit intelligence-wise. Better safe than sorry though...

" Open p-pan-el mon-it-tor to check, dis-able aud-io." asked frenzy, not wanting to disturb the girl, and made his way to Blackout's console. However, there was only silence from the large mech.

"....You're not going to violate me, right?" he finally asked, referring to the horrifying ordeal of almost being 'castrated' by the psychotic little mech and his crazy human pet.

Frenzy snorted. " No. Want to c-check for s-ure."

A small screen popped out of Blackout's console, and showed him the encrypted message. Had Frenzy been able to, he would have gasped out of joy as his filtering systems detected Megatron's unique signature embedded with it. His leader was alive! Frenzy opened up the coordinates within the message and gave them to Blackout to follow them immediately. He couldn't believe his luck. He'd help his pet get home, and he would be able to serve his master loyally once again. The Decepticon cause was lost no more...though...he'd wind up losing his squishy to the human hive. That didn't sit with him too well.

" D-drop her off, then go to him." he said a bit sadly

" Didn't you listen to the whole message? He wants the femme too. Mikaela Banes. That is your pet, is it not?"

Frenzy's curiosity was peaked. Megatron wants his Mi-ka-la? " For what?" That didn't seem right.

" He doesn't say, he just wants her there. And you know what happens with organics around him." chuckled the Deception " Squish!"

" No!" shouted Frenzy " No! No! No!" As loyal as he was to Megatron, he was attached to his pet too. She was special too him.

" It's an order! We have to follow it, as much as I despise him. We don't have a choice."

" He kill her!" he cried " Won't d-do it. T-take her b-back home!"

Blackout was confused over his reaction. Why was he so attached to the human? She was just another speck of carbon in this universe, no more important than any of other organic creature.

" Why are you so protective of that insect? It's just a human!"

" She is **mine**! She belongs to **me**!" he growled

" We'll get you another one then, maybe even two. You can breed them." he said jokingly.

" Promised her s-safety." he said quietly.

" What the pit are you talking about? It's not like you promise to protect her or something, right?" Frenzy didn't reply. That was so unlike him, to not retort or joke back. Why was he acting like this?

" What is that human to you then?" he asked a bit more seriously. " Frenzy..don't tell me you actually care for her in that way?"

He shook his head. No, he didn't have feelings for her. There was more to it than that, much more complex than he could explain. " _She is special_." he thought "_She was my escape from the constant reminder that this faction, is nothing without our leader...and that I am alone without Rumble. I'm only half of a whole. I don't care for humans as a species, but that one has respect from me now. That's why Megatron can't have her_."

" I always thought you were a weird Decepticon, now I see your true colors. You realize that Megatron will off-line you for insubordination, right?"

" _'At this point, I don't really care_.'" he said in his language

" Your life is worth less than your pitiful sentimentalism?! If you want to protect humans, then you have clearly joined the wrong side!"

" '_Blackout, just drop her off_.'"

Blackout chuckled. " Sure, after I deliver her to him."

" '_You can't! I promised her she would be safe_!'"

" YOU made that promise, Frenzy, not me....now deal with it!"

" '_Maybe I will!'"_

Frenzy's body trembled, but not in fear, but anger. However, before he could make any kind of attack to his fellow Decepticon, there was a sudden jolt. Knocking both passengers around the interor. They hit something, Blackout swerved as best he could, but the damage was already done.

* * *

It had been no more than half hour into his first period, and already something was happening. Sam was beginning to wonder if he should even **try** to be normal, as everything else seemed be against it currently. He sat back on the not so comfortable seat of the black helicopter than was carrying him to Hoover Dam. Might as well rest before you face a very angery Secretary of Defense. Leo on the other hand seemed estastic over the situation, more than most people should be. Of course, Mr. Leonard Spitz wasn't exactly most people. A senior student fixated on conspiracies, and a link to Sam's grandfather's past. That was too much of a conquience...Sam suspected the Allspark's doing again. Meanwhile, Simmons was none to happy with Leo's endless questions and resorted to the old standby, " That's classified." But it didn't stop him much.

Simmons browsed through a few papers from an important looking folder, briefly looking at something called Iceman, and looked up at Sam. " You Witwickys must be alien magnets or something."

" Or something." growled Sam. He wasn't really wasn't in the mood to talk, especially to him. And who could blame him? Their first meeting wasn't very memorable.

" So you guys know each other? What's the deal here?" asked Leo, not missing an opportunity to know more about what was happening. The kid obviously believed that knowledge was power. Knowledge that Sam wasn't going to share with an almost complete stranger no matter how linked he was.

" Leo, you really don't want to know. It's a long boring story." replied Sam

" We got time." smiled Leo " Right Mr. Secret agent?"

" It's Agent Simmons." he replied, then noticed two bright blue eyes peeking out of Leo's shirt. "That your little pet?"

" Yea, it kind of got attached to me. It used to be Sam's cellphone. Named her Decibel." replied Leo, causing the agent to look at Sam suspiciously.

Sam put out his hands." I don't know how that happened okay? It might have even been a robot to begin with."

" Touchy today aren't we?" smirked Simmons " You've always been a terrible lier since I met you. So why not come clean?"

" Why don't you? You obviously want something that your superior doesn't want to give you." groaned Sam " Maybe for good reason."

The kid was good, he'd give him that. " Actually yes, you do have something I want. But it's up to you how hard you want to make this."

" What do you want to know then?" Sam huffed. Better just give what this guy wants, within reason of course. He might hopefully get home faster.

" Word on the street says you killed NBE-1."

" Well **whoopie**! Glad you reminded me of that horrible event again. Let's put that on a golden plaque to put on my family's mantle. Now can can I go?" said Sam sarcasticaly

" Word also says that you didn't finish the job. Now, usually I don't get into domestic affairs, not my jurisdiction, but this caught my eye." said Simmons, handing a paper with a familiar face of a girl. Sam recognized it right away, it was Mikaela.

" Aie, who's the pretty betty? You know her, man?" smiled Leo lustfully at the brunete girl

" Mikaela. My girlfriend." Sam replied, then looked at Simmons. " What? Are you going back on your word about her and her Dad?"

" It's nothing to do with her...yet. But I want to know about this guy." said Simmons, pointing to a picture of a man with strong and dark features, and dark red eyes. Sam knew him alright, but he wasn't sure if Simmons knew who he actually was. Best to play it safe then...

" Her uncle?"

" Is **that** what he calls himself now? Quite far removed from the family tree, don't you think? " smiled Simmons. Sam squirmed. Simmons knew who he really was. He leaned in to Sam.

" Keller wasn't too happy this morning when a certain _guest_, didn't show up for _breakfast_. A....Mr. Matthew Banes, though, I think you know him better as NBE-1, aka Megatron."

" Keller said he wouldn't say anything to you guys about him." asked Sam. He knew that if Sector Seven found out, Megatron would be taken away with them.

" That was before he got the news he wouldn't be receiving him. He wouldn't show me this unless he was **really** upset."

Sam was growing bored, where was this conversation leading to? " So why take me out of school, when you could have just picked him up at Mikaela's?"

" We were, but he caused a little scene downtown at his _niece's_ house last night. Seems he brought a friend with him, and it wasn't exactly a warm reunion."

That information caught his attention. " Is she alright!?" shouted Sam. How much worse could this get?

" She was suppose to have gone with William Lennox's team, when we sent to retrieve him, but I found out, his little comrade by the name of Barricade, kidnapped her."

Sam felt a chill run down his back. ".....No.." It just got worse.

" And now Megatron is missing, along with Lennox and several others that were headed to Hoover Dam. We haven't gotten any contact since." said the agent closing the file " My only guess is that he took off with them all. Where? I don't know, that's why we turned to the only person we knew, who knows him personally."

" I wouldn't call it personally...you forget, he almost killed me." said Sam " God...This wasn't suppose to happen. I thought he changed."

" Kid, you actually trusted a killer alien robot around your girlfriend? I wouldn't trust him around the National Guard. That guy should have been captured and held at Hoover Dam the moment he was changed, just like he was for over a hundred years before, not given to some kid barely out of high school! No offense to your alien friends but, their deity sure screwed up in that department." Sam couldn't agree more.

" So what do you want me to do about it? If I knew where he was, I'd tell you only to get Mikaela back. As far as he's concerned, I don't give a shit what happens to him now!" he shouted. The Allspark was wrong to have given him to watch. It was cruel and selfish of it to do that. Sam knew Megatron could never change his ways. The Allspark should have just let him die like he was meant to. Sam had his face in his hands, hearing this was just too much. Mikaela had been kidnapped by Barricade, and if he remembered correctly, that particular Decepticon wasn't known for his good hospitality. Not to mention that freakish blue-eyed robot that nearly killed him that same night. ' _And I thought he was staying with Maggie, not Mikaela!'_ Wait...Maggie! If he was taken, she should have gone with him!

Simmons rubbed the back of his head. Whatever morality he had left, he felt it at that moment. He knew the girl meant the world to him, he'd be just as upset if some alien took off with his own girlfriend...if he had any, " Look, I know you're worried about the girl. But we can help each other, if you help me find him. Any information can be useful. Anything at all."

" I know one person. She knows him better than I do, at least, so I think."

" Name, number?" asked the agent " Help me out here."

" Uh,,,Maggie Madson..don't know the number."

" Air Force One, chick?" asked Simmons. Sam Nodded.

Simmons leaned to the co-pilot. " Boys, give a ring to a Miss Margaret Angela Madson and for good measure, to 'Chubster' AF-1 station 15. He might be able to pick up on her too."

Suddenly, the helicopter shuddered, as it's occupants would have nearly been thrown from their seats, if it wasn't for their seatbelts. Simmons looked out of the window to spot a large black helicopter that nearly sideswiped them in midair. It looked like it was heavily damaged, and was still keeping airborne.

* * *

" Frenzy! Slag it! You distracted me!"

" _Not my fault you can't fly straight_." he shot back " _What did we hit?"_

" Frenzy? Blackout? What happened? What's going on?" asked the human passenger, as she rubbed her eyes, and then her butt from the impact

" I hit something, while wasting time talking to this fragger."

" It's c-coming back..."

Mikaela peered out of one of the unbroken windows of the cab, and spotted a large black helicopter, similar to the one they were currently in. Whatever it was, it seemed to be waiting for something.

" Is it another Decepticon?"

" No, it's a human aircraft. No doubt they were looking for you."

" Sending message...reply?" said frenzy, reading the internal screen.

" Oh I'll give them a reply alright." said Blackout, ready to raise his weapons. They creaked and groaned, it didn't sound very good.

" No! Don't shoot! If they're looking for me, just let me go!" said Mikaela

" Absolutely not, the moment you go with them, they'll fire at me! I was ordered to deliver you personally to my leader! And that's exactly what I plan to do."

" You're leader?....Megatron?" she asked.

" You know him!?" asked the two mechs

" Not...personally...well, maybe a bit." she smiled nervously. Frenzy gave her an odd look. " Don't give me that look, now is not the time for long stories. Just send a reply to them?"

* * *

" What was that?!" shouted Leo

" Sensor is picking it up as an alien hostile. Registered as NBE-5, AKA Blackout."

" Decepticon." hissed Simmons " Take it down! Take it out of the sky!"

" Wait!" shouted Sam " It might...it might have some idea where Megatron is."

" And you think it would willingly tell us? I don't bet on it."

" You could bribe it. Can you contact it?"

" ......Try to get communication up between us, but make a slingshot away from it if fires, then return fire immediately." Simmons gave that sentient machine in front of him a cold stare. It looked like it had seen better days. " From the look of it, I doubt it could stand another fight."

" Communication request sent, receiving reply." responded the pilot

"' Fuck off, alien vermin!" read the computer panel

" Typical." groaned Simmons " Ask him if he knows where his esteemed leader is."

" Sending reply...receiving reply..."

" Vern Base. Follow me to your extinction."

" How sweet."

" Should we follow him?" asked Sam

" Why? He gave us what we want. Shoot him."

" Hey! Whoa! Why? He didn't shoot at us, why are we shooting at him?" asked Sam

" Yeah, show him some compassion. That..whatever it is..looks like it's barely flying." asked Leo " From my understanding of all this, how does shooting him, make us any better than these guys?"

" It's him or us, kid. Decepticons don't show mercy, and neither do we. Shoot that piece of scrap, and bring us down. I want to get a look before the 'clean up' crew comes around."

Sam and Leo watched hopelessly, as a single small missile fired from their copter, ready to take the large black Decepticon out of the sky.

* * *

" So what did you say?"

" Leave us the fuck alone."

" You what?! Why did you say something like that?!" shouted Mikaela, pounding the console

" '_Blackout, tact does not become you_.'"" groaned Frenzy in Cybertronian " '_The humans are very touchy when it comes to insults.'"_

" Oh my **god**...are those...**missiles** aimed at us?!" cried Mikaela

" _Blackout! You just killed us, you..!" _shouted Frenzy, as the whole copter was impacted by the projectile, leaving a gaping hole on it's side. The pilot and occupants jolted as they fell out of the sky.

* * *

Bumblebee wasn't sure exactly what he was seeing until he zoomed in on it. It was a black helicopter, a black helicopter falling out of the sky...with the logo of a Deception. It was Blackout. Wait, didn't Blackout die in Mission City? Still, the mech was about to bite the dust, seeing the damage that had been done for the humans' weaponry. However, something worried him, he turned on his infered heat detector and picked up the body heat of a human inside. The Decepticon had gotten a hostage. He quickly scanned the area for what had fired at the large mech, and spotted two human aircraft in the vicinity. Had the humans not seen the hostage and fired unknowingly? There wasn't much time to act, he sped up as fast as he was able to, to the scene. There wasn't much he could do if the human remained inside the Decepticon, but if the human was falling away from it, he might just be able to catch it safely.

* * *

Cold. That terrible feeling of harsh, biting cold that he was aware of for over thousands of years. Cold, seeping into his joints, into his body, into his mind. There was no sense of time anymore as he lay motionless in that frozen, icy tomb. Then finally, that cold died away, like a slow thaw. He could move again, think again. But that small peace was broken as the cold gave way to burning, like the heart of a sun. He watched in horror as his skin was bubbling and burning away, giving away to shining metal underneath it. His mind was suddenly wracked with pain, as his remaining pieces of humanity vaporized under the intense heat. The pain, he remembered it from before somewhere...but where? He gripped his head, now familiar in texture under his metallic digits, as a pair of large infernos made way to him. They seemed reflections of his own eyes, but utterly alien in their make.

" My disciple...I have found you."

" _Who are you?"_

The red eyes raced through him, and that pain was there again, even more intense. He woke up screaming, and shot up from his bed in the dim light of the room. He looked over himself, his body was human again. He cursed under his breath. It was only a dream, a very vivid, disturbing dream. A feeling of dread washed over him, as he tried his best to recall why the voice seemed so familiar to him. He felt it was important to remember, but in his groggy state due to the tranquilizers in his system, it wasn't worth the effort, not now anyways. He'd try again later when he was more awake. He lay back, and let the medication lull him back into the world of dreams...and hoped he would not meet those hellish eyes again.

* * *

Maggie hopped out of Optimus, as he transformed in the airplane hanger that was set up for the Autobots temporarily. They were met outside by some familiar and not so familiar faces. Maggie smiled as she saw Captain Lennox and Ironhide approach her and Optimus.

" Optimus! Good to see you're alright, sir." greeted Ironhide, his view directed the smaller figure byside his leader. " And Maggie as well?"

Optimus nodded " She came on account of Megatron, as did I. Is he doing alright?"

" As far as I can tell, the slagger is sleeping off the sedatives that Ratchet shot into him to make him shut up. The base has been quieter since." joked the large mech

" Can I see him?" asked Maggie with concern at Ironhide. She was hoping to talk to Megatron awake, but seeing him was enough for now.

" It's up to Ratchet, though I don't see why not. Just don't expect a conversation." he replied " He's in the medbay on the other side of that hanger. I'll get Lennox to escort you there."

" Thank you."

Optimus inwardly wanted to go with her, though that was next to impossible to do, considered the building was meant to house humans, not Cybertronians. He wished his scout Hound was here, with his amazing set of holographic equipment and expertise. Even if a mech couldn't go into a small space themselves, they could go in as a holoform. He hoped his message into space reached him, he knew that Hound would fall in love with this culture, just as he was. In the meantime, Optimus would simply have to ask Maggie for an update on his brother's condition.

" Lennox, I need you to show Miss Madson where they're keeping her _lover_." smirked the weapon's specialist to his human friend

" **Oh ho**! So it's not just a rumor then?" grinned the captain

" Please, we just met a few days ago." she blushed

" Don't believe in love at first sight?" he asked

" Not really, do you?" she asked impishly

" That's how I met my wife."

" Tsk, aww, that's sweet." she said. She left the Autobots, followed the captain inside a smaller building. From the looks of the interior, it seemed like a medical wing. Several rooms lined side by side, across more rooms, side by side. But it didn't give off the typical feel of a medical ward, as it seemed more cozy, but it did have that sterile, clean smell. She was led into a hallway, and then to a door with a large keypad lock. It looked more like something for a walk in freezer, than a medical room. He quickly entered the code.

" Room 339...here it is." he allowed her to enter before him, and she walked inside. Just beyond the sheer white curtains, she caught sight of Megatron's sleeping form. Laying on his side, shirtless, curled up, but otherwise totally knocked out. A large white bandage was on his shoulder and neck from the surgery..

" What happened to him?" she asked

" From what Ratchet said in his report, Megatron is reverting back to his orginal form. Metal is taking over his bones, and inner organs. He's healthy, but the process it very painful. It starts and stops whenever it feels like. I was lucky to catch him before he made a mess out of his shoulder. Some metal was sticking out of him. Ratchet had to take it out." he stopped, not wanting to go further into detail about that incident.

" Matt..." she whispered " God, why is this happening to you?"

The captain looked about him, feeling out of place. He felt he should leave them to their privacy, but under orders, he couldn't.

" I'd leave you two alone, but...under policy I can't. He's still under watch in case anything else happens. For safety."

" I understand." she said forlornly. Lennox couldn't help but feel a familiar mood that he often shared with his wife. A special, intimate bond. However, he and his wife were human. In Maggie's case, her love was an alien, turned human, and in the process of going back. It kind of unnerved him a bit.

" You care about him, huh?"

" I do." she smiled wistfully

" Even though he is, what he is? He killed alot of people, he's a criminal, both on this planet and his own. He pretty much had a hand at almost wiping out his own race.. Can you seriously overlook that?" he asked her

Maggie was silent for a bit, until she replied..." I know what he's done, and who he is...but I can't help what I feel when I see him, and talk to him. He's not a threat anymore as he is now. I think..honestly, if he didn't have all those sins of death and destruction. He wouldn't seem like some evil killing machine, just a bitter, lonely man who made some bad choices in his life."

" Would you still think that way if he changed back? "

" What?" she asked the captain a bit suspiciously

" Maggie, I find it difficult to believe a being like him, would still look at you with the same love he showed you as a human."

" What do you mean?"

" I'm not trying to be pessimistic but...he could change once he goes back. You and I don't know how Decepticons think, anymore than the Autobots do. What if they don't posses the emotion called love? What then? That man you see before you, he could disappear in the blink of an eye. How do you know, he won't think of you as some tiny insignificant little ball of flesh once he regains his true body?"

Maggie pursed her lips. " I don't know that, captain...maybe it's foolish to hope that he'll retain those same emotions. But even if he doesn't, my feelings for him won't change. I love whom I love."

" You realize that you're setting yourself up for a potential downfall."

" I love...whom I love." she again firmly

" I just...I don't want to see my friends getting hurt. "

" I'll take that risk."

He nodded " Just so you know, you always all of us to fall back on then." he smiled, looked over his shoulder " I can't give you too much time, only for a bit. You're not exactly cleared to be here."

" Thank you." she replied, and he closed the door. The room went silent, save for Megatron's deep breathing. Maggie turned and walked to him, seating herself on the edge on the bed. Oh, to be so close to him, and yet so far away. She wasn't sure how deeply asleep he was, but she spoke gently to him and herself.

" It's not like I haven't thought of that myself. I don't know how you see me, or even if you truly mean what you said before. Maybe it's not real, but...even if it wasn't I'd still love you. Despite..." she said, and brushed a few stray dark hairs from his face. She wrapped her hand around his, and squeezed it, hoping he'd wake up, even a little. She wanted to talk to him so badly, to hear his voice.

' _Talk to me...please_.' she thought.

" Maggie...times's up, the guards are coming back. Quickly." said Lennox just behind the door. She frowned, that didn't seem like much time at all. But at least, she got to see him again, even if he was asleep.

" You can visit him again when he's awake. It's just with everything going on, everyone's a bit tense." he said, locking the door behind him. " And I need to time it right. Until I can get you cleared to see him more often."

" You're taking a risk by doing this, thank you." she replied, and noticed the keylock that the solider was pressing. She mentally noted ' 6-3-4-4-0-7', and then averted her eyes, followed him down the same hallway and outside. Maybe she could visit him sooner than he thought.

* * *

Inside the room, a figure rolled over on his side, dark red eyes open, commentating the words of the human female that just left, and the ominous dream he had just awhile ago. They seemed linked to each other. He closed his eyes, and retraced her touch. He would have called out to her, he would tried to speak to her, but frankly he just wasn't in the mood for it. He admitted, he was still bitter about what happened between them. He'd never be able to forgive her for what she caused his body to do againest his will. He was sure, if she tried that again, he wouldn't be able to refuse his human instincts, and that scared him in a way he had never known before. This body was threatening to betray him, and he'd make it top priorty, next time she was around, to control his humanity. He had to. He refused to lose himself in this form. To cross that line with her...

He knew humans had an obsession with their sexuality, and often talked about it on their primitive, but widely linked 'web' of communication. Infact it seemed that was all they talked about. _' Well of course, considering their short lifespans_.' They have to propagate their species somehow. But he wasn't human, at least not mentally. Oh, he had thoughts of having an heir after him, it wasn't abnormal for a mech his age to want a family, at least some offspring....but not **human **offspring! The very thought in itself seemed inconceivable. Unthinkable. Though, quite a possibility if he chose to mate with Maggie who had the health, age and disposition to carry a child, his child, to full term. And knowing the tendency for humans to breed as they do...there wouldn't be just one child for very long.

" **No!" **he gripped his head, muttering to himself " I cannot let that happen!"

So then, what now? His body wasn't willing, but his heart was still her's. How would that work out? Could she, as a human being, take a relationship without the intimacy she desired? Or would she be a slave to her organic programing, and find another mate to fulfill her instinctual urges? Because he sure wasn't going to fit her plans. And the sex itself...was he making a big deal out of nothing? Could it be he was missing out on something really good? He kind of wished he had another human to talk about it. One with experience, and few hang-ups. The Witwicky boy was of little help in that department.

And what was said before ...would he change his viewpoint on Maggie once he went back to being his old self? He sincerely hoped not. Maggie was the best thing that ever happened to him after his horrible transformation into one of them. He didn't want to lose her, but he didn't want to stay this way either. And again, this came full circle...his relationship with her. He wasn't sure if that was the problem or the solution. He rolled over on his side, and cursed the Allspark for the millionth time.

' _Why must I be your object of amusement?'_

He swore he heard distant chuckling.

* * *

Blackout wasn't prepared for what happened, and he cursed the humans with every number of insults, death threats, and promises under the sun, both his language and any other language he knew in the galaxy. His mind was filled with should'ves, could'ves, and would'ves. He should have fired at the humans, he shouldn't have replied to them, and though blind, he would have had the satisfaction of knowing they would burn to ashes as he flew off with his hostage. He lay sprawled on the dusty, hot sand of the desert, the human female lay on top of him, motionless. For reasons unknown, he had tossed the girl out of himself when he transformed, and tried to catch her midlanding. From that height in itself, it shattered his already damaged hydraulic joints, He wasn't sure where Frenzy was, not that he cared. Frenzy was a traitor, but at least he had the human. He could still deliver her alive, even if she was unconscious.

He let the human girl slid to the ground, as he tried to right himself up, only to find his right arm was completely destroyed. Singed wires buzzed, and burnt circuitry hummed from the hole that was once his shoulder. He tried again to stand up, only to feel his legs began to crumble under his weight. Squeaking, and finally falling away, leaving him to collapse. So this was it then? He'd die here, alone, with just an insect and a traitor to bear witness to his demise.....Over his fried servos. If he couldn't fly, he'd crawl to that base. He was still alive, he..collapsed yet again. His body shuddered. Who was he kidding? He was blind, he could no longer walk or fly, His only map was now a jumbled mess in his CPU which was crying out that he was in fact...dying.

" I should never have followed Megatron." He said to himself. Even if he managed to get to that base, Megatron wouldn't help him. In his state, he'd simply use him for spare parts. While a honor to most mechs, Blackout refused to be recycled in that way. It was degrading, but not as degrading as dying like this.

" ...Blackout?" said a voice, barely above a whisper. It was the human girl. Inwardly, he was relived that pesky femme was alive. He turned on what was left of his heat sensors to 'see her', it did little good. She gazed up at him, and saw to her horror the battered and torn Decepticon that had saved her life, twice now. She crawled to him, only to see the remains of a giant metal hand stop her. Blackout did not want the girl close to him. He was leaking energon, and as far as he knew, most organics died upon contact of it.

" Fleshling...get away from me. Take Frenzy, whatever remains of him, and go back to your kind." he gruffly ordered her

Her next response surprised him. Instead of taking off like what of her kind should have, she stayed near him. She touched his clawed hand, from what he could make of it, a gesture of comfort.

" I'm not leaving you. You're injured." she said

" Leave me! I'm dying...you can do nothing for me, now go!" he roared " The humans will come for me now."

" But I tell them to help you. You can be fixed."

" And be held as a prisoner of war? As an experiment like my leader once was? I will not stand for that humiliation. I will off-line myself if I am to be a toy for humans!"

" They won't hurt you, I won't let them. Please...stay with me." she cried

Her clutching on to him become tighter. He wasn't sure what significance that carried, but her voice seemed very distressed. Almost as if she was sad...over him. Why would a little fleshbag be saddened over him like that? Did she forget what he was? He was not her kind, not even on the same side. Frenzy was right, she was a strange human, but he also appreciated her concern. At least someone in this wide and vast universe, was mourning over him, and would remember him. He heard the other copter coming toward them, he knew what he had to do. He would not be a toy for these insects...he had to do it now.

* * *

It hadn't taken more than a second for Sam to spot a familiar yellow Camero on the horizon.

' _It's about time he showed up.'_ thought Sam. Late or not though, he was still relieved to see his robotic buddy. God knows they may need him, if the Decepticon managed to survive the shot and take revenge on them. Though it would be justified in his case. The mechanical creature had not fired, and yet they opened fire regardless. He never liked Decepticons, and he never will, but that was a pretty petty one-sided fight. Was it his imagination, or was Simmons a little more hostile than he remembered him. Maybe he was always like this, and was seeing more of his unlikable side.

Meanwhile the little yellow car had finally gotten close enough to see what had happened. He was staring at the giant corpse in front of him, then at something his optics scarcely believed. Right there, just on the right side of Blackout, was Mikaela. Bumblebee wanted to shout to her, but then he noticed her expression. She was touching the giant mech, but not with a fist, or sign of rage. Her expression was sad, and her touch was gentle. He had never seen anything like it.

* * *

" My spark is dying, by the time I even hit that worktable, I'll be dead. It can't be helped."

" You'll make it! Just hang on, and you'll get fixed!" shouted Mikaela

" For what? I betrayed the Decepticon coda by helping an ally to the Autobots. If I live, no doubt I'll be turned into scrap by my comrades. I'm already dead to them. Let them remember me, as a follower to my leader."

" But he's..." she stopped, she couldn't say the truth. Megatron had changed since then, not just in form, but in character. If Megatron found out that Blackout had saved her...He would consider Blackout to be a hero.

" I'm going to stop the processes to my spark. I will die soon." he said " It was interesting, femme...you are very different from your species, you rebel againest their notions of my kind. That makes me respect you."

" Blackout....you idiot! You won't die! Don't you dare! " she cried, hearing the quiet hum of his engine wind down, until there nothing but the silence of the barren world around them. " Blackout! Don't! Please..."

Hearing her cries, the tiny silver mech crawled out of the small crater it was in, throwing obscenities left and right, and making his way, slowly, to his human pet. He saw her on her knees, leaking that eye fluid again that he saw only a night before. Was she hurt again? He crawled faster towards her, and saw his fallen fellow Decepticon. The damage was too severe, and his spark was close to extinguishing. There was nothing he could do. Even the Decepticon's finest medic, couldn't save him. The black helicopter that shot them down was landing, and rage was already building up inside him.

"' _Stupid humans...we didn't even fire! They will die for this_!'" he spat in his native tongue. Instead of going to Mikaela, he went for the first person that came out of the aircraft. He'd tear their faces off for their unjustly murder. Mikaela saw Frenzy lunge toward the first human he saw, with an aim to kill. The man barely had time to react as he was assaulted by a flurry of metal and blades, tearing his skin and suit apart in terrorizing speed.

Bumblebee quickly came on the scene to protect the humans and fired a warning shot at the little Decepticon mech.

_"' Autoscum! This isn't your fight! They killed Blackout in cold blood! We didn't even fire!'" _he shouted at the yellow scout. Bumblebee didn't believe a word, and fired again. This time shooting one of Frenzy's limps off. What intrigued Bumblebee was, that he wasn't firing back. But he was trying to kill any human he could in the area, that was something that Bumblebee could not allow to happen.

Frenzy lunged toward another human, this one being armed, but unable to shoot due to Frenzy tearing at his face. Bumblebee couldn't get a clear shot, so he wouldn't hurt the human, but he didn't have to, Mikaela had come away from Blackout and was now wrestling the spastic mech away from the man. Bumblebee was worried the girl would be hurt next. A pair of human arms encircled her, and she was being dragged away from Frenzy, for her own safety. Or so they thought at the time.

She fought the agent " No! You don't' understand!" she cried

Frenzy's optics flashed, and his blades bristled at the sight of his pet struggling from the stranger. ' _Get away from my human!! Don't touch her_!' he yelled in his native language. He left the human he was previously trying to kill, and proceeded to attack the man who was mishandling his pet, if it hadn't been for that same pet to block his attack. Unable to control where his blades hit, he saw helplessly as one sliced Mikaela across the face, leaving behind a large gash on her right cheek as she held him down on his back.

" Don't! They're not to blame! They didn't know our situation." she shouted to him. " Don't attack them!"

Frenzy froze. Not out of fear, but out of disbelief. She dared to side with them? The ones who killed Blackout, when they had not threatened to fire? How could she chose them over...no, of course she would side with them. They were humans, like her. He risked his life to save her. He could have killed her those times, but didn't. She seemed different than her kind, but did it turn out he was wrong?

" You p-protect them? Y-ou protect t-those monsters!? They k-kill Blackout!" his voice trembled with almost human emotion. She had never seen him like this before. " Should DIE!"

" Frenzy...look they just..." she didn't get to finish as the small mech looked at her with intense conviction. She was no longer under his protection. He didn't want anything to do with her now. She was better off going back to her kind, where she would be with her family, and friends. He had no place in her life anymore, and it hurt, almost as much as when he lost his brother...to the very species his pet, his Mi-ka-la was.

"Go b-back to t-them. D-don't want you." he snapped pointing toward the helicopter and the other humans.

Mikaela stared at him. "But…Frenzy.."

He moved away from her hurt that flickered in his optics was so apparent.. "DIDN'T YOU HEAR? D-DON'T WANT YOU ANYMORE!" He hissed, and with a final show of strength, he shoved her out of way and past the men as they fired rounds at him. He ran into the desert environment, and disappeared, leaving a very confused, and distraught girl behind. Several of the men went to look for him, but already he was gone. Sam ran to where his girlfriend was standing. She looked so lost, but all that mattered to him, was that she was safe.

" Mikaela!"

That voice, she knew who it belonged to. If there was anyone in the world, in the universe she wanted to see at that moment, it was Sam Witwicky. She didn't anwser him and instead, limped her way to him, falling into his open arms, nearly knocking him head over heels, and feeling him return her tight embrace, both crying as they got up, still holding each other. Bumblebee was eagerly awaiting the two kids, and Simmons and Leo peered out of the helicopter to see what happened. Various people stood before the giant fallen mech, taking pictures and notes of the damage, and then finally draping the looming figure with a sand colored tarp so it could be carted away by the proper authorities.

" Mikaela, oh god...oh god.." cried Sam " I thought I lost you!"

She said nothing at first, holding her cheek from the gash, and Sam. She did not want to let him go. But something inside her was nagging. She and Sam got into Bumblebee, she lay on Sam's lap, her face buried in his chest, not wanting him to see her distress. Sam was near tears, Leo, was cheering, and Simmons smiled. But despite the happy reunion, she felt empty. It confused her. Shouldn't she be overjoyed? Her thoughts turned to the tarp covered figure of Blackout, that encouragable jerk who tried twice to deceive her, and wound up dying to save her. And then to Frenzy, that little hyper ball of tin foil who had saved her the very day they met. What happened that made him reject and attack her... ' _I don't want you anymore_.' What did he mean by that?

" Mikaela? Are you okay?" asked Sam, stroking her head.

" I'm fine." she softly replied. Sam looked worried, and Leo leaned over to him.

" Give her some time. She's been through a lot." and Sam nodded. He was right, Mikaela had just been saved from two of Megatron's minions. Anyone would be in shock from that experience.

" Here, clean that up." said Simmons, handing her a wet wipe from the dashboard. She carefully cleaned her injury. " You are one lucky kid to escape alive from that."

" I sure don't feel like it." she replied

From afar, hidden from view in a fox hole, Frenzy had watched his pet go back to her kind in the arms of someone he hardly knew, but now fiercely hated. Her embraces and affections being given and taken between the two. No doubt, it was the mate she spoke of. He would never see Mikaela again after this, and perhaps that was for the best. With the map in his CPU, he'd somehow try to get to that base his leader was holding up at. Better to face the wrath of Megatron, than the cruel knowledge he was alone again.

* * *

**Author's notes:**

Happy New year folks! Hope your holidays were awesome, mine were kind of...blah here in the dorms, but at least I got to focus on writing my stories again. I have another one up at Adultfanfic, but it's Off-Beats-centric. This entry to Cosmic Joke was kind of angsty, huh? But they were toned down by the main couples reuniting finally. Proper credit goes to Sylentnite for parts 2,4,5 and 6. She did a heck of a lot of writing this time around for me, and I loved it. I hope you did too.

I feel bad that I killed off Blackout, he was such a nice mech, despite being a totally jerk at first. But as I said before, there are going to be deaths in this fic on all sides. 'Cons, 'Bots, and humans alike. And then Frenzy's falling out with Mikaela. That was pretty sad to write. But that's not the last we see of him folks, he's coming out again later on. Aside from the deaths, how many of you guys caught on to who spoke to Megatron? Remember, this story is bridging both movies, so guess who is going to make an appearance? It's not just Starscream that Megatron will have to watch for, but also his old master. If any of you read the comic series, _Transformers: Defiance, _you're going to see just who influenced Megatron to be the tyrant he once was before landing on Earth. As for Megatron currently, I couldn't resist putting in a potential question that's going to come up sooner or later, should he decide to hop into bed with Maggie. **Children! **Omg, yes I went there, but hey, it's a real concern for a lot of couples' first times. It's not like it couldn't happen if they went about the natural way and did it. Someone's going to explain birthcontrol to Megs, and it's going to be a surprise just who is going to teach him. Hehehe Someone you'd least suspect. XDD Happy guessing!

**Q & A:**

**MugglebornPrincesa-** Yea! I'm glad you liked it. :D The Allspark did say he was going to give him another chance in another form, but it didn't say for how long. I tend to think it was the Allspark's own twisted way of teaching Megatron a lesson in humanity. Peace comes with it, but happiness isn't guaranteed. To be human, it takes both joy and sadness. Something he's learning slowly but surely. His experiences as a human, is giving him a better view of just how alike their races really are, and dispelling some of his xenophobia. And hopefully these new found views might carry on to his original form. I think that's what the Allspark was really trying to do. Take him down a notch and through those events, mold his character.

Personally, I'd love to see Megatron live as a human long term, and in public (as he hadn't really interacted with the rest of society much). But then it would go againest everything the Allspark had planned in the first place. I might do an alternate storyline with that ending though, it's interesting to think about. :D As for this storyline, Ratchet may not be able to help him in that department, but there is a mech that will present that possible option for him to stay human in future chapters. I won't reveal the details, you'll have to see for yourself. And as for his relationship with Maggie, time will tell how things will end for those two. All I can say is, it won't be happily ever after, but it won't be tragic either. I thank you for your comment, it brought up some great points. And for sure there's a new chapter headed your way!

**Mark**- Hope you liked this chapter then, as this makes the first semi-appearance of The Fallen, via dreams. As if things couldn't get worse, right? First his second in command is looking for him, and now his former master. Things are going to get good.

**Psyconinja7**- They are cute huh? I have a lot of favorite crackships, and Mikaela/Frenzy(FM-shipping) is on that list. Sadly, this fanfic is 100% Mikaela/Sam , but I'd love to read a fanfic of yours featuring FM though. There's isn't a whole lot of that out there.

**Kaimaler**- Thank you! I'm glad you're enjoying the story and not getting confused (Cause I sometimes do). So many characters, so many situations.

**Lecidre**- Blackout is fun to write and mess around with, but I feel bad that he was killed off like that. But he died a hero, so it wasn't in vain. Mikaela took his death pretty hard it seems. Lotte did a great job introducing Leo in the story. It flowed nice and naturally and the made up backhistory of his great uncle, really links him to Sam. He's not just there, he's actually going to be useful. And I really hope the boys keep that cell phone too, it's adorable. Lotte and I finally came up with a name for it as well.

As for Frenzy, he is such a hard character for me to write at times. It seems he's always at odds with himself, since protecting a human is totally againest what he was programed to do. I don't think he really considers Mikaela to be a "pet", but as a comrade due to the same circumstances they met in. Her freedom, meant his freedom too. Sad that their friendship fell out due to a misunderstanding. But he is coming back, so things might heal between those two. And the way things are going, Megs is definitely gonna have his 'cherry popped' pretty soon. I still find it ironic, that the disaster that has turned him into a human is giving him some better qualities.

**Dzeniibby**- Indeed he is!XD The mech doesn't know how lucky he is, too bad he can't see her though. And no, I'm not shipping Frenzy/Mikaela so don't worry ^^. But I did leave some "subtext" for fans of that pairing to read into. Otherwise, this fic is 100% Sam/Mikaela, just like its 100% Maggie/Megatron as well. :D Glad you like the half siblings idea. It just makes more sense that way, if Optimus was a prime and Megatron wasn't. Gotta wonder who the parents were though...0_o

**Meirelle**- Hehehe I knew what you mean. XD It's so hard not be immature when anatomy is mentioned, not that's that a bad thing though. The naughty stuff is still on the way though, and it will be even more humorous.

**Aira Slytherin**- Aw thanks! That means a lot.^^ Kayla is certainly a chip off the old engine block, if they *were* related anyways. No doubt, Megs would be proud of his neice, and Blackout will never live it down. Getting violated by a human is prime material for teasing. No pun intended. And we'll see which one Megs will lose in the end (my bet's on his viginity) that's going to be a hoot to write later on. Starscream is gonna be in for a shock to see his former leader still alive and kicking once Megs gets his body back. Better watch out, Screamer. He still remembers, and he still holds a grudge.. XDD

* * *

**Blooper:**

Kayla: Man I'm bored, how about some music?

Frenzy: Yea! Yea! Yea!

Blackout: No...no music. I can't stand that primitive noise.

Kayla: Didn't you ever listen to music back home?

Blackout: No.

Kayla: Tsk, well at least turn the radio on or something.

Blackout: Fine, if it will shut you up.

*Turns out radio*

Frenzy: '_Oh I know this song_!'

Blackout: What's it about?

Frenzy: '_Don't know...but apparently Gwen Stefani isn't one, and it has something to do with bananas_.'


	25. The coming storm

" Well it's about time that young one answered my calls." growled Ironhide, sitting down the pavement. He wasn't too happy that Bumblebee didn't return any of his com-calls. He wasn't one to be worrisome, but he did have concern for teammates, especially a young one such as Bumblebee. " I can assume you got the news, Optimus."

" Mikaela and Sam were found." said Optimus " That's quite a relief. If Bumblebee hadn't returned sooner, I would have gone to look for him. We can't afford to lose three friends, especially now."

" However, the other news..."

Optimus eased himself down to sit next to his old friend. " Yes...I know. It was inevitable, but they will be taking Megatron."

" Taking him where?" asked a female voice, causing the two mechs to look down.

" Ms. Madson,.." answered Optimus

" Please, I told you already, call me Maggie!" she said

" I'm sorry, Maggie. How is Megatron doing?"

" He was asleep. I didn't get to so much as look at him." she sighed " You said they were taking Matt somewhere?"

" They want to take Megatron and detain him at Hoover Dam."

" Oh great..." she groaned " I completely forgot about that."

" I also fear of the Allspark's wishes for Megatron to stay near Sam." explained Optimus " Just because it's not present, doesn't mean it can't still interact here on Earth."

" I thought the Allspark was destroyed? How would it know it's wish was granted?"

" It's physical form was destroyed, but the Allspark itself cannot be. It just changes."

" Ever wonder what it changed into?"

" Whatever it is, it's probably somewhere else causing all sorts of problems." said Ironhide gruffly " It did a great job here."

" I wouldn't say it caused too many problems. It did do one thing right...." smiled Maggie

Ironhide caught the reference " You mean Megatron's infatuation with you? I wouldn't be too happy about something like that."

" Because you're not a woman."

" Thank Primus I'm not."

" Ironhide? A femme?" called a voice. It was Ratchet " I shudder to think."

" Hey!" growled Ironhide

Ratchet payed him little mind, and turned to his leader. " I got the news about Sector Seven on a retrieval mission for Megatron. I have to say, I seriously disagree with their poor choice. Megatron is in no condition to be moved elsewhere. If his transformation kicks up, the humans will definitely be in over their heads."

" I agree, Ratchet. Which is why I'm going with them to hopefully speak to Keller. Megatron was held in Hoover Dam against his will, and I doubt he will want to return to that place again."

"I'm going too. if you can't talk some sense into him, then I will!" said Maggie

" Maggie, this isn't..."

" Don't! I'm grateful you're looking out for my safety, but you're not helping. I've known Keller a lot longer than you have, and no offense, but, it's best if we speak human to human. Keller has a decent respect for you, but you drudging along, despite your good intentions, will only make him jumpy. If we're going to get another chance from him, we need to do it right."

" What do you propose we do?" asked Ratchet

" We wait til the kids come back, and with hope, they'll back us up."

" I certainly hope so." said Optimus, looking at the sky, and the slowly changing weather. ' _Looks like a storm is coming...'_

* * *

Frenzy had just skidded down a steep slope face first into the dirt. He hadn't been on this planet for four days, and already he hated it. Organic matter was everywhere. Dirt was threatening to get into his internal circuitry, and curious animals were following him around. He looked up at the sky, and saw that this region of the planet was about to receive precipitation soon. And not a single sign of shelter in sight. Wonderful, just wonderful. What he'd give to be in the city. Sure he'd be at risk of being seen by humans, but at least he'd be protected from moisture. How he hated, moisture. It was the bane of his species, since rust could form, and without proper solvents, they'd have to replace entire parts, or be transferred into a new body entirly.

"_ I'd be safe and dry in that hotel or inside Barricade, if I hadn't helped that human_." he thought. But then she would have surely been killed by Barricade, though in retrospect, Blackout would have still been alive. At least the few remaining members of his species would have one more to count among the living. Right now, there was more Autobots alive, than Decepticons. That troubled him a bit. Were they losing? Was he on the wrong side?

"_ No! I should not doubt my leader, he is alive, and he's waiting for help_!" Frenzy pressed on, this time faster than his previous pace. He often huddled down or half hid in fox burrows to escape the view of black helicopters still searching for him. This was only a taste of the danger he might face once he infiltrates the human base. He was used to it though. It was part of the job. He continued following the coordinates to where Megatron lay in wait. But then once he got to him, what then? How would they escape? It all depended on how damaged Megatron was, or even if he was online at all.

" .....!" he suddenly hid in the loose sand, hoping the organic material would conceal his alien figure. A black helicopter flew by, but not in a scouting formation, but as transport. Wasn't that the black copter that Mi-ka-la's boyfriend was on? Then that meant...

" _She's at the same human base?" _he thought worriedly. " _Well then...I guess Megatron is still going to get his wish and have her."_

......

....

...

" _Noooo_!" he panicked. That can't be! What kind of sick sense of humor do the fates have?! He still felt betrayed by the human girl, and was silently fuming over it....but not enough to wish Megatron's wrath on her! He made himself run faster, but soon slowed down. No use overheating out here. But still...

"_ I got to get her out of there. Megatron will vaporize this base and her right along with it." _His thoughts were soon interrupted by the sound of a sonic boom, followed by the familiar sound of one of his kind transforming. He peered over a rock, seeing not one, but two jets before him, but as they shifted, and changed, they revealed their alien nature. Frenzy's optics widened, and his loyal programing willed him to go to his Second in Command. But something didn't sit right with him. He waited, and watched behind a large spiky organic plant.

" How could you lose the signal?! You incompetent fool! Why do I even bother using that outdated energy scanner of yours?." shouted the large, brown mech, pulling the dark one by the wing to the ground.

" It's not my fault, the signal is weak. Which could mean he's dying for all we know. Let's leave him to the humans to find, that's a fate far worse than death."

Starscream kicked the other mech roughly, and leaned into him, red like embers " Megatron's death is to be **mine**! We will wait for another signal, and then we will attack. Is that understood, Thundercracker?"

" Yes, sir...forgive me." he said, lowering his head before his cousin

Frenzy was watching this from afar, furious._ " He wants to kill Megatron? Over my dead servos!" _he growled. Starscream suddenly looked towards Frenzy's direction, making the little mech duck back under cover. Starscream smirked, then turn towards Thundercracker.

" Let us go, we'll continue to scout the area."

" But we have no signal to follow on." said Thundercracker

" Don't worry, I think we might have come across some help." said Starscream. Watching the little mech scamper towards the direction of the base.

* * *

The sound of soft drops of water woke up Mikaela, as she lay on her boyfriend's shoulder, his hand draped softly on her back. At first, she thought she was still flying inside Blackout, with Frenzy sleeping on her back. But no, she was here with Sam. It was like a wonderful dream, and she smiled as she looked up.

" Sam?"

Sam looked down at his sleeping girlfriend. " Kayla, you okay?"

" I'm fine, I just...wanted to make sure you're really here." she said, tightening her grip on his shirt. She wanted to assure herself, this wasn't a dream. She was really with her boyfriend. Safe in his arms.

" I am, don't worry. I'm not going anywhere." he comforted her " I'm never going to leave you alone again."

_' You're mine,_

_and we belong, together._

_Yes, we belong together._

_For eternity.'_

Played Bumblebee. Mikaela smiled sleepily " Kind of an oldie there, huh?"

" Oldie but a goodie." responded Bumblebee " It's good to hear you're feeling better."

" A bit. I'm still..."

Same smiled " I know. Just rest, we're going to the base, and you can get something to eat."

:" What's going to happen to Blackout?" she asked suddenly

" Him? He's probably going to be melted down, or frozen or something by Sector Seven." said Sam

" No..they can't." she whispered, before raising her voice " Sam, they can't do that. He rescued me from Barricade."

" What?"

" He and Frenzy, they helped me escape, so they could take me to the base." she explained

" But they're Decepticons, they're the bad guys right? Are you sure they weren't just saying that to trick you?"

" They helped me, they didn't want to hurt me. Please Sam, tell them to give him a proper burial, he deserves that!"

" Whoa, whoa...girly, are you sure you're not shock or something?" asked Leo " Calm down."

" You think I'm lying?"

Sam held her back " Kayla, calm down. Look, maybe you..."

" Stockholm Syndrome." spoke the agent, who was, until now, silent.

" What?" asked Leo

" I've seen it before. A hostage ends up sympathizing with her kidnapper, or falls in love with him, one or the two. I know the signs."

" I am not crazy!" shouted Mikaela " They were nice to me! If they wanted to kill me, they had a whole day and a half to do it!"

" Could be that they were keeping you alive, to use you as bait. Barricade's intention was the same, no doubt they want their leader back, and will use Sam's closest friends to make the trade."

" They were going to drop me off! Sam wasn't even in the picture."

" You think so, only because you didn't read between the lines. It's okay, you're young and naive, at least you learned and lived." said Simmons.

" Frenzy and Blackout are heroes! I don't care what you say! They may have been Decepticons, but they didn't act like it. And so help me, you will give him a proper ceramony. His body won't be taken apart piece by piece by creeps like you!" she shouted

" Mikaela, calm down." said Sam " I hate the guy too, but we don't need anymore trouble."

" You wound me." smiled Simmons sarcastically " It's not up to me who decides that, young lady. It's Optimus. He gave his okay for us to study the Decepticons, then bury them in the Laurinthian Abyss for eternity. No doubt the same will happen to him."

" Blackout isn't your plaything, and I'll talk to Optimus!"

" We'll see, we'll see." smirked Simmons

" Kayla, are you sure they really didn't do anything?" asked Sam

" No. I owe them my life, Sam."

" You know, I knew Blackout and Frenzy back on Cybertron before the war. They were devious mechs at times, but they never did any real harm to others. It was Megatron that was a major influence on their change in character. So I don't find it all that hard to believe that they were civil toward her. Remember, the real enemies of Decepticons are Autobots, not necessarily humans."

" You see?" she smirked to the agent

" As I said before, we'll see." groaned Simmons

The black helicopters were already landing in the airspace provided for them, while Bumblebee drove through the gates, Simmons flashed his badge, and were allowed through to the base. He parked and allowed his human passengers to get out. Sam held Mikaela for support, as her leg was still injured. Rain began to fall, as the occupants moved swiftly inside a building, while Bumblebee was escorted into a hanger wing, which also held Optimus and Ironhide.

" Are the other Autobots here?" asked Sam, brushing stray drops from his jacket.

" There's more robots here?" asked Leo " Sweeet!"

Mikaela looked at the guy who was with them in Bumblebee. She never got his name or who he was. " Hey, by the way...who are you?" asked Mikaela

Leo flashed a smile at the girl, thrilled the girl had finally noticed him. " I'm whoever you want me to be, baby."

Sam waved him away " This is Leo, a guy who actually proved that it is possible to annoy the hell out of a Sector Seven agent."

" Don't remind me." said Simmons " The sooner I get away from this kid, the better."

" Knowledge is power, bro." he smiled, and felt a rustling under his clothes, as he looked down his sleeve. " Decibel, my little girl, there you are! Have a nice nap?"

" Oh my god! What...who is that?" asked Mikeala smiling and looking at the tiny little robot. She was suddenly hit with deja-vu. " Wait..Sam, isn't that your phone?"

" Used to be." he shrugged, attempting to leave it as that. Simmons wasn't going to let it go again.

" You never explained that to me, kid. How did that happen? You didn't go find another Allspark did you?" asked Simmons

" Pfft, You wish. I don't know how that happened. It just did. One minute it was my old, cheapo cell phone, thanks to my Dad, the next, a highly advanced robot."

" It's so cute." she said, as she watched it's tiny bright blue eyes study her from afar both hesitantly and curiously. It ducked inside Leo's shirt quickly as the sound of thunder was heard.

Sam looked out the window in front of him. " Sounds pretty bad out there."

" I agree." said a female voice coming down the hallway.

" Maggie!" exclaimed Sam and Mikaela.

" It's so good to see you!" she hugged the two kids and looked at Mikaela " My god, I was worried sick. We all were worried sick! I can't believe they found you. I'm glad you're safe."

" I'm glad to be alive." said Mikaela

" Long time no see." said the agent. Maggie frowned at the sight of him. He was the one here to take the one she loved away. " Being a man who gets straight to business. I believe NBE-1 is here?"

" Megatron." corrected Maggie " And before you take him away, I want to talk to you about..."

" Save it, lady. I can't take him now, anyways, the storm is getting pretty nasty out there. The copters won't fly in that. But that isn't going to stop me from talking to the guy. So if you don't mind, care to escort me there?"

" Not until you speak with Optimus." she said Firmly

" I have my orders, madame." he said, just as firmly

" And I have friends in high...very high places." she retorted smugly. Simmons huffed.

" Fine. Fine, I'll talk to the big guy. But that isn't going to change anything. If you want to stop me, free to, but think of your job."

" How dare you threaten me with my job! I could do the same to you!" she said

" Yeah, I'm sure about that."

* * *

" Bumblebee, I know that were concerned about Sam and Mikeala, but wandering off on you own isn't a wise thing to do. Something could have happened to you." said Optimus

" I found them, didn't I?" said Bumblebee.

" That's the not the point! The point is that Optimus and I were worried about you! Not only is Barricade still on the loose, but Scoropnoc as well. They could have cornered you, and killed you! Don't think just because you're young they'll spa..." shouted Ironhide

" Don't treat me like a sparkling!" shouted Bumblebee " I've trained under you, you've taught me how to take foes bigger than me."

" Yes, but only one on one. If they corner you, you don't stand a chance! Learn to act like a mech for Primus' sakes! Use that processor of yours before going head on into a situation you're not prepared for!"

" Ironhide..." said Optimus " Bumblebee was aware of the danger, right?"

" I knew that I would expect to fight Barricade."

" This is exactly what I was talking about. What if Barricade wasn't alone? What then? He has a lot to learn, Optimus. And while he's been fighting alongside us for some time, he's still young." explained Ironhide " He doesn't have the experience we have had in battle."

" Then how did you get experience?" asked Bumblebee

" From...." Ironhide started "...*sigh*"

" Making mistakes?" finished Bumblebee happily

" He's got you there, Ironhide." chuckled Optimus

" Alright, so you do know what you're doing. But even still...next time you want to play the solo hero, let us know ahead of time? Even the toughest mechs, need backup as well. That's a tip from me as a warrior. Remember it well, alright?"

" I will." smiled Bumblebee " Thanks Ironhide."

Ironhide's com-link flashed, and he " It's Ratchet, he wants to know if any one of us can help him with moving a few things from the medical wing."

" In the rain? What for?" asked Bumblebee

" Something for Megapain. He wants to modify the wing to accommodate him, in case he starts to transform back." explained Ironhide

" Bumblebee, can you assist him?" asked Optimus. The yellow mech nodded, and went towards the medical wing, leaving the two mechs alone once more.

" Don't take this the wrong way, Ironhide, but I believe you're got a soft spot."

" What? No way! I'm just looking out for him. He needs someone to show him the ropes, correct him when he's wrong, and keep in line."

" He does, and you do a great job at that. You're almost like...a father to him."

" But, I always that he saw you as that?"

" No. He told me himself before we came to this planet, that despite your aggressiveness and strict protocol, he looks up to you. You're a role model for him, in what kind of soilder he wishes he could be someday."

" ....I don't want him looking up to me. I've made too many mistakes in my youth. I don't want the same for the kid."

" But he won't, if you're there to prevent that, right? To avoid the mistakes you made."

" Well when you put it that way." pondered Ironhide " Guess it's not so bad. But still, even if you tell me this, I ain't going easy on his punishment for disobeying me this afternoon."

" I think he wouldn't expect anything less from you." chuckled Optimus

* * *

" Rise and shine, sleeping beauty." said a voice beyond the door before coming in. Lennox had walked in, a white tray in hand, while flicking on the light switch to brighten the dim lit room. Seeing the room as it was now, with just a bed, a table, and a small sink and toliet in a closet-like space, it was rather cramped. The Army wasn't known for hotel quality rooms, but at least it was secure. That was top priority, considering the 'guest' that was staying in it. Megatron growled when the lights affected his still sleepy eyes, and put his pillow over his head.

" Feeling better?" asked Will. Megatron cursed the solider in his own language. Lennox didn't need a translation to know that wasn't a friendly reply.

William wet his lips nervously. " Look uh...We kind of got off to a bad start, so, introductions? I'm..."

" You're an Autobot ally, that's all I need to know." he snapped

" ...Captain William....Lennox..yea never mind" he finished " I forget who I'm talking to."

Megatron looked at the food the solider was carrying in his hand. " I assume that plate of organic matter is for me?"

" Breakfast." corrected Will. " Or rather Lunch..brunch. Anyways, get up, I got some good news, Maggie is here." he smiled. That would probably make this former Decepticon happy.

" I know, she came in earlier today." he replied as a matter of factly

" Huh?" This surprised him. "You were up during that time? How come you didn't say anything?"

" I wasn't in the mood."

" I can see that." he said, putting his kiey card on the small table " A shame, she was really hoping to talk to you. I thought you liked her?"

" I don't like her!" he growled

" ....Sure you don't." he smiled, and placed the tray of breakfast items on the bedside table. " Here, eat something. You're grouchy because you haven't had food in awhile."

Megatron sat up, still a bit tired. It was odd for him. While he was fully awake, his mind, and his body were sluggish. Was it the effects of the drugs Ratchet shot into him, or was it because he wasn't used to a human body enough? He rubbed his eyes, and then his head, trying to recall the hazy dreams he had awhile back. His eyes looked up to the solider who was busy making something in the makeshift bathroom, it looked like a glass of orange liquid. He looked back at the tray that was brought in. The smells emitting off it were appealing to his senses. Scratching his neck, he yawned, and began smelling a small bowl of off-white liquidifed food with little lumps in it. He took a handful, and began to try to eat it. It kept dripping on to him, and it was hot. Definitely not pizza. He missed his pizza. Meanwhile, William had come back from the bathroom with a glass of orange juice, and watched in awe at the former Decepticon leader trying to eat his breakfast.

" What are you staring at?" asked Megatron.

Lennox snorted. " I've never seen anyone eat oatmeal with their hands before...besides my daughter, but she's only a baby."

" Is that wrong?" he asked, annoyed

" No, but it makes eating it difficult, here, use a spoon." Will handed him the utensil. Megatron dipped it in the bowl, only to have the oatmeal slide off. He gave Will a glare. This didn't help eating it at all.

" You have it upside down. Use the spoon like a shovel and dig into the food." explained William, hoping that a mechnical terms might make it easier for him to understand. Megatron did as he was told, and placed a spoonful in his mouth and swallowed.

" Well? How is it?"

" It's pleasing to the senses."

" That's...good." nodded Will.

" Tastes..."

" You don't like it?"

" No...it tastes different than pizza."

Will laughed " Of course it tastes different. Oatmeal is sweeter."

Sweet...er? Is that what they called it? Interesting. He continued sampling the different foods on the tray, but eventually went back to the oatmeal. He made a mental note that this was a potential favorite food. He never thought he'd actually like to ingest organic energy voluntarily, but having a new found sense of taste, made it enjoyable. No wonder humans consumed so much, the various smells and textures were worthy of repeating. William pulled up a chair, and sat down, picked up a semi-round reddish thing, sniffed it, then put it back. Megatron was getting annoyed. Why was he still here? It was obvious that he was waiting for something. For him to finish eating?

" You what to ask me something." said Megatron. Not as a question, but as a fact. He read Will's body language quite well.

" Yea, I do."

" And that would be?"

" I'm curious." he smiled

Megatron swallowed the last bit of the oatmeal. " That's not good."

" Hey!" Will snapped

" It's true isn't it?" he said, and cautiously nibbled on the strange red object. Turned out it was also sweet-er, at least he thought it was called that.

" Well, I'm curious about you. How did you become a human?"

" That's not the question you want to ask." he said, working on the apple steadily. Another favorite on his list.

Will was impressed." You're a great mind reader. It's true, I'm more curious about you and Maggie."

" What about her and I? Do you find it strange that she loves me despite what I've done in the past? Or because she will continue to love me, even when I change back?"

Will winced. So he heard that. He heard Maggie and his' entire conversation from earlier on.

" And what about you? Will you love her when you return to your true form? Or will you squash her like a bug?"

Megatron's eyes glowed red as he turned to look at him. How dare he think he'd do such a thing to her. " That none of your business, fleshling. Whether I love her or not afterwards, does not concern you!"

" It does concern me! I'm a friend of her's!" shouted Will

" If that is true, then you should know when to back off!" He snarled

"No! Because I don't want a beast like **you**, hurting her!" retorted Will

" I will do no such thing! You think I'd hurt someone I supposedly love on purpose?!"

" You tell me! I don't know how your twisted brain works. But if Mission City was any indication, with you flicking humans left and right like fleas!"

" That has nothing to do with her!" growled Megatron " As far as that's concerned, she didn't even exist to me until I met her later on."

" It has plenty to do with her! You killed over 20 people in that incident, you nearly wipped out your own race, and then to top that off you destroyed the Allspark and..."

" **That **wasn't my fault! That was one of your own whelps! If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't have come back as a disgusting human, and we wouldn't be having this discussion in the first place!"

" That kid saved a bunch of lives doing what he did. He's a hero." retorted Will

" He's an idoit! Doing what he did, he destroyed one of the main sources of life for my species. He doomed us to a slow and painful extinction at the expense of your race's survival."

" And that comes full circle. You don't care about humans, and yet you somehow 'fell in love' with one? How on earth did that even happen? The thing between you and her. it doesn't sit well for me. I won't stand if anything happened to her because of you. I know you're in the process of changing back, and I'll be damned, you won't be going back the same crap you pulled a few days ago!"

" And what if I do?"

" I won't hesitate to kill you."

" And if I don't?"

" Then...I don't know."

" Exactly, you don't know. So leave it be."

" Well you don't know either!"

" I know I that I don't know. But there's nothing that can be done about it."

" Except to wait for the inevitable."

.......

.....

" The inevitable. Seems to be getting closer, and for some reason, I'm both anticipating and dreading it. I don't know what to do. About Maggie. I can't keep her, not when I can feel this change stirring under my skin. Something is taking over, and pretty soon...I won't be me anymore. At least, not the man she fell in love with." he said solemnly " I'm such a fool. To think our relationship could last. But then I blame the Allspark for not clarifying how long I had as a human. I assumed it was long term."

It did seem pretty hopeless. At first, Will thought it was a superficial attraction on their part. He admitted, while young for his tastes, Ms. Madson was quite beautiful, but that only complimented her intelligence and resourceful nature. Any man, human or not, would fall for her allure. Though, he failed to see what she saw in Megatron. He was brutally intelligent as well, and had been a general of his own army...but appearance-wise? He features were handsome, but too harsh and proud. Not mention his age. But there was a quirk to him. While he exhibited the aura of a leader, he was laughably naive in his own way. Prehaps, Maggie found that part to be attractive.

" But you don't know for certain you won't love her, right? When you go back?" said William " Since we don't actually know...you know?"

" Nothing is certain. But I'm simply stating the most obvious that could happen."

" Okay, but say that it didn't. Say, that I didn't have to kill you, because you're still are in love with her and..."

" And...and what? You forget, I'll be a Cybertronian again. You honestly can picture a young woman being caressed by a being of that stature? These arms I have now, are nothing compared to the claws and blades that will grace my old form, once the process is completed. In a single flick of the digit, I could end her life. Don't you see? I can** never **hold her again! I would be a monster in her eyes. Even if still felt that love for her...would she?"

" So what are you going to do?"

He threw away the remaining apple core, and looked at Will tiredly. " I have to end it."

" You're giving up? Just like that?"

" Primus! What else can I do?! Our love, all this, it's impossible!"

" Not really. She still loves you, and I think, she still will, even if you go back. You heard her, right? When she came in here?"

"I don't want her to be in love with me!" He roared through a constrained throat. "It hurts too much!"

William kicked back, and turned his attention to the ceiling. " I'm married, just for the record. I got a wife and kid back home, waiting for me to come back...hopefully in one piece. I'm always away from home, and in dangerous places. Sometimes, it's hard to think that one day, I may not come back at all. Do you think I don't know that kind of pain? I know it hurts. I know how impossible and painful this must seem, but you can't go on evading Maggie. Things have a way of working out, even if it's for the time being. I think perhaps you are deliberately blinding yourself to some of the possibilities before you."

"What possibilities!?" he snapped, more harshly than he intended.

" The possibilities of taking advantage of the time you have right now? You're human, right now, right?"

" I am, but in a few days or even hours I..."

" I'm talking in **this** frame of time. You're human right now, yes?" he faced at the older man directly.

" Yes...?"

The two stared at each other in silence.

" You don't get?" asked Will

" What nonsense are you babbling about!? The topic was about Maggie, not about the miserable species I've become!"

" I don't know if you're short sighted or just dense...no shut up and listen to me. Humans, us, have only so much time to live in this world. Some of us can plot and plan out our lives to the exact. Taking in every angle and aspect of their lives, but that means nothing...if they haven't lived it."

" I don't understand."

" What I mean is, you're talking about what will happen, instead of what is now."

" I still don't understand."

"Ahh..." he sighed in frustration, "And that's what gets me so angry! Your kind, have all the time in the world to think about what you want to do, and then all the time to do it. 'Time' basically has no meaning to you. You're practically immortal, save for your pointless wars."

Megatron opened his mouth to protest, but Lennox stopped him. " The point I'm trying to make is. Take advantage of what you have. You're human, you have Maggie, you love each other. Don't worry about what will happen when you return to your true form. Cross that bridge when you get there. Instead, focus on the here and now. Make memories with her, leave something behind. If not for you, then for her. That way if you do go back to 'Kill all humans' she won't be completly miserable...okay, maybe she will, but..you have to understand. My wife and I, we have about 50 years left to make our lives count, because we only get one shot. We don't have the luxery of time like you, what we do now, will be what's left of us when we're gone."

" But that's incredibly unpredictable."

" That's what being human means." smiled William

Megatron sighed. " ...Perhaps I have been over worrying. Maybe I should speak to Maggie this time around."

" That's the spirit!" Lennox slapped Megatron's shoulder, making him glare at the solider. " Uh...sorry. Ahem, Wasted too much time here already. Tell you what, I'll try to get Maggie to come by again."

Megatron sat up " Wait! I didn't mean I wanted to talk to her now!"

" Not now, but later. It won't kill you. Now that I know you're genuine about this, I want to help you two out. I've been where you are, so don't deny the gesture. In human culture, it's considered an insult."

" Really?" he asked, intrigued

Will snorted and smiled " Nah, just messing with you. I'll be back later."

The door closed, and the already familiar electrical lock sounded from beyond it. Megatron lay back on the mattress with a heavy sigh, reorganizing his thoughts and what had transpired a few minutes ago, He hated to admit that the human solider was right. He was over thinking things way too much, and forgetting about what little time he had left as a human man.

_' Planning things out in the long term, and waiting eons to actually get it done. A definite Cybertronian trait.'_

It made him wonder how much his race had really accomplished in their seemingly limitless lifespans. They had advanced technology, they were at the peak of their civilization, then war broke out, and their source of life robbed from them, leaving their home world a barren and dead rock. Then the chase for the possession of the Allspark, which lead to it's destruction and finally to his own problems now. And what did they have to show for it in the end? Where did their ideals lead them to? To the destruction of their world, to the deaths of millions of their kind, and an almost non-stop war...and for what? For the first time since the war began, Megatron questioned what exactly was he fighting for? How did it even start?

He remembered, vaguely. Cybertron, and Optimus coming in to tell him of the recent excavation of an ancient ruin, then an alien race attacking them. He remembered being injured, ordering the tablet that was found by Optimus, to be put in his chambers for safety, he got mortally injured, went to his room, and then...What happened? Why was his memory a blank from there?

_' My disciple..."_

He clutched his head suddenly. What was that? What was that voice? A chill ran through him, as he fiercely fought to remember it. Wasn't it in a dream?

'_No, that can't be, I'm awake_.' he thought. Unless...that voice was actually...real?

* * *

Frenzy had the base in his sights. Getting through the desert was tricky, but now infiltrating the human base was...not going to be a picnic.

" _Megatron must be in there..but there are so many humans_."

His blue optics spied a dump truck unloading large cylinder containers, into a larger garbage unit. After they emptied, they were loaded onto a platform and taken into the base again in groups of five. Maybe he could hitch a ride inside those bins?

"_ Hmm...that could work_." He quickly slipped past two humans, and carefully crawled into one of the containers and covered the lid. It smelled horrible, but he endured it, so long as it got him into the base. He'd have a better chance at night, but with Megatron in the same place as his Mi-ka-la was, he decided to risk it.

' _Ow! Watch it, you flabby meatsack!' _he mentally cursed as the container he was in was roughly thrown on the back of the platform, and hit the other ones. The truck started up, and rolled back into the base once more. He was in! Yes! Just a little longer, and he'd be...the container he was in, fell on it's side sharply. Frenzy groaned.

' _The things I go through_,'

The truck stopped a few times, taking one container out at a time. Frenzy had to time it just right before they got to his. He'd have to slip out before they put a trash bag inside the container. He slid out before they stopped, tucked behind one of the bins, then carefully dropped to the ground via the tailgate. He quickly looked around to make sure no one saw him. He watched the truck leave, and the slowly, but not quietly, he scrabbled into an open air hanger, only to see a very familiar bright green mech, talking to a female human.

" I have the burner you requested, Ratchet. Will that be all?"

" Thank you, and yes, this will do." he replied

" _Oh no!!" _the little mech mentally screamed " _Not the crazy Autobot medic! What is that afthead doing here?! This is bad, this is bad!" _He would have tried to threaten and intimidate Ratchet, if he wasn't the size of a small media player. No, letting the mech know he was here would only spell trouble. He had to wait, or better yet..infiltrate. He quickly warped into the shape of a small CD boom box, and turned on a random radio station. This got the attention of the mech.

" Ugh, noisy contraption."

" Who put this here?" asked the assistant, who was unloading what Ratchet had asked of them. " Did you want music while you worked?"

" No, I prefer it was gone. I need to concentrate on this."

" What is it?"

" Remember I mentioned that I could stall Megatron's transformation back? If this experiment works, I could stop the process entirely."

" Wow. That's pretty neat. That could save us a great deal of trouble."

" Transformation?" thought Frenzy " What the slag did they do to him?"

" I'll take this to the lounge. Catch you later, Ratchet!"

" You as well, Marissa."

* * *

It hadn't been nearly 20 minutes in, that the three teen were left out of the intense conversation between Maggie and Simmons, who stated it was between adults, ushered into sitting room by military personnel, and locked in to make sure they stay in there. Needless to say, they were not happy campers. The room was small, it smelled like cornchips, but at least it had comfy chairs. Mikaela flipped through year old _Popular Mechanics _magazines, which at least interested her. Sam was trying to get some signal on his phone to talk to Bumblebee, but no luck so far, and Leo was busy flipping through five basic TV channels on a little monitor on the corner of the ceiling.

" Isn't there vending machines here?" asked Leo " I'd kill for a soda about now."

" Kill? Kill what, a flea?" said Sam

" I'd kill a robot for a soda."

" Not if the robot killed you **with** a soda."

" What?"

" The Allspark, turned a vending machine into a crazy killer soda monster." said Sam " Happened when I dropped it and it went berserk."

" I guess just because the Allspark is omnipotent, doesn't mean it's intelligent." said Mikaela

" Your guess is an good as mine."

" Wait a sec, this Allspark thing...it can bring to life any machine? Like what you did with the cell phone?" asked Leo

" I'm telling you, that wasn't me! My phone just came to life!"

" Your phone, **and** your mouse on the computer, dude. I'd say the first time is an accident, but the second time...something's up."

" Well...I do have something I never told you. You see..." Sam rolled up his sleeve, and showed the strange marking had gotten from the Allspark sliver.

" That is some sweet looking ink there, man."

Mikaela was more shocked than impressed " Sam, what happened to you?"

" I had a dream that some voice was talking to me, and then I woke up and touched a sliver of the Allspark and it sort of melted into my hand." he said, only to notice something had changed in the marking. It wasn't one glyph, but three now. The two new gylphs were snaking up his arm. That wasn't there before...oh no..

" It melted into your hand? And, was this before or after the phone and mouse coming to life?" asked Leo

" Before. But..it doesn't mean anything right? I mean...it's not...like that."

Both teens stayed quiet, til Mikaela spoke " Sam...I don't know if...no..I think the Allspark might have done something to you. And if that's true, maybe it gave you some of it's power. Why else would it talk to you in your dreams?"

" But that's not possible."

" What if it is? I mean...Megatron becoming human was like...impossible, but it made it happen. He's a human now, so, who's to say it couldn't give you the ability to bring machines to life?"

" But how would that help me in the slightest?" asked Sam " It's not useful to me at all."

" How would turning Megatron human help him? I think, and maybe I'm stretching this a bit far but...maybe the Allspark is trying to teach you two a lesson?" said Mikaela

" But I didn't do anything! It was Megatron! He was exterminate-annihilate-destroy! And I running for my life to save that stupid Allspark in the first place!"

" But didn't you shove that stupid Allspark into Megatron, destroying them both?" asked Mikaela

" Yea?"

" Uhhh, dude....I wouldn't be the happiest kid on the block if someone came and shoved me into someone's chest, and died." said Leo

" What are you saying?"

" That the Allspark is imparting some it's sick and twisted irony on you?" said Mikaela

Sam face-palmed " .....Oh that's wonderful."

"Hey, look at the bright!" Beamed Leo

" What bright side?" he groaned

" You can establish an entire army of tiny robots to do your bidding. You'd never have to work a day in your life. You can call them Minicons!"

" Leo..shut up."

* * *

Frenzy didn't know what a lounge was, but so far he wasn't enjoying it. He needed to find and hopefully rescue Megatron from the clutches of the human hive. But how? There was only one window, and one door. He couldn't sneak past the humans without being seen. He looked around himself. There was food, coffee makers, chairs and...a computer! Lucky day! He managed to sneak a bit closer to the electrical device, and then hastily plugged himself in. With this, he'd be able to cause a distraction. He logged past the ID codes, and firewalls, and made his way to a site that would definitely gain the humans attention.

" Who was on the computer last?" asked one guy, sitting down to log into the computer, and access the internet.

Suddenly, the hapless the man was eye-raped by an image of two naked humans, one male and one female, appeared on the screen making noises loud enough to wake the dead. Some of the soldiers bolted out of their chairs to see what the hell caused the site to appear on a government issue machine, while several others tried to slowly make their way to the other side of the room, or turn up the TV to ignore the commotion.

" Shut it off, man! Shut it off!" yelled some of the men.

" I'm trying! It's got spyware or something, the pop-ups keep coming!" yelled another man, then finally yanked the cord from the machine, and it shut off. By then, Frenzy had already made his way to the exit.

" _Stupid primitive beings and their 'porn'. They're so predictable_." snickered Frenzy, and quickly bolted out of the room and down the hallway. The signal was getting stronger, but the danger of being seen was far from over.

* * *

The conversation that the teens were rudely invited to, took place in the same hanger at Optimus, Ratchet, Bumblebee, and Ironhide were staying it. The rain had become harder since then, and could be heard on the metal roof of the large space. However, it didn't drown out the intense discussion talking place within it. Maggie was sitting on a chair close to Optimus, while Simmons made it a point to not sit anywhere near Bumblebee, aka The Lubricator. He didn't want a repeat of that any time soon. Captain Lennox had yet to show up, but even without him there, the only two humans in the hanger were already on fire.

" And in the first place, he was never suppost to here! He was staying with me, until you guys showed up and made a mess of things!" shouted Maggie

" Only because his buddy kidnapped a civilian!"

" That was a mistake! He had nothing to do with that!"

" And how would you know? He could have contacted other Decepticons into coming into the area."

" Because he and I were..." Maggie carefully chose her words well " ...having a discussion, which got out of hand, and he left the apartment."

" And from that point, he was under my watch, until I dropped him off at his niece's house to cool down." explained Ratchet

" Exactly, so how in the world could he contact anyone during that frame of time? All I can say is, it was coincidence that a Decepticon was in the area, somehow found out who he was. But because the Autobots didn't want to hand him over, they took Mikela instead."

" In my profession lady, there is no such thing as coincidence. This was a set-up, plain and simple. He had his accomplice kidnap and hold the girl as a hostage, knowing full well, either her boyfriend or one of the men here....would trade the girl over him. It would be a win-win situation for their side, since a human life is worth dirt in their eyes, and wouldn't be a shame if she was killed if the Autobots failed to hand over Megatron."

" Let me stop you there. I was at the scene when Barricade took Mikaela away. Megatron was told to hide, but instead faced Barricade, who, until the last moment, didn't know Megatron was human. Megatron calmed the Decepticon down, explained what happened, but when it came time for Megatron to go with Barricade, he was stopped, and thus, took Mikaela away with him, to force us to hand over their leader. This wasn't set up, it was a chance encounter that rapidly became sour." explained Ratchet

" Okay, say that was true." said Simmons, facing Optimus " So why didn't your men hand over Megatron peacefully?"

" Because, if we had, Megatron's transformation would have excellerated, especially in the presence of other Decepticons. If that happened, I would fear another Mission City incident. We could not take the risk."

" Oh so, now you're saying...you rather keep Megatron under your watchful eye, but let the Decepticons tear apart an innocent girl for the hell of it?"

" Mikela being kidnapped was a mistake!" shouted Bumblebee " How dare you accuse us of not caring for the humans we're watching over!!"

" As emotional as the young mech is, he speaks the truth. Mikaela was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Any human would have fell victim to the same thing. Decepticons have no concern for the beings of this planet like we do. They see them as vermin, while we see your race as equals to our own. Megatron was the main target, but the plan fell through for Barricade, so he switched tactics." said Optimus

" And besides, the girl is safe and sound here on the base. A little worn, but still safe." said Bumblebee

" That doesn't change the fact, the Megatron is much too dangerous to be living where he was. He's not only putting the people who know him, at risk, but everyone in the city. What next? Another 9/11 incident just because another Decepticon wants their leader? Sorry, but no. He will come with us to Hoover Dam, we'll set up a nice little padded room far below the earth, so he won't be a danger anymore."

" And if he changes back? What then? He'll just try to escape!" said Maggie

" Not unless we freeze him again."

" You have no right!!" She cried

" See this?" said Simmons waving his badge " This gives me the right to do whatever I damn well please. And for good reason this time. Once this storm lets up, he's going, whether you like it or not."

" Optimus! "

" Maggie, he does have a point."

" No! What are you saying? I thought you with me on this?"

" As much as it seems unfair, Simmons has made aware the danger that Megatron could pose both concious and uncociously. Maggie, we as Autobots uphold a standard that we must live by. We unavoidably brought our enemies to your planet, and it's our duty to see that no harm comes to your people because of our mistake. Until the Decepticons are brought to justice, Megatron must be hidden away, for his safety, and yours."

" That doesn't make it right."

" It doesn't. But until I can speak to Keller personally, we will have to deal with 'this bump on the road'. I know how much he means to you, and I will do all I can to change the outcome of this."

" I appreciate that, Optimus."

* * *

" I'm baaack! Miss me?"

" Hardly." he repiled gruffly, then looked at the door again. " You said you were bringing Maggie."

" I was, but she got caught up on a discussion that I didn't really want to be involved in. Not my fault though, Simmons was there, aka Mr. Pain-in-the-ass. I just wanted to make sure you're all ready to talk to her once she gets out of there."

" I don't think it's a good idea I do."

" You don't have much time. Once the storm clears, you're going to be shipped out of here and straight to Hoover Dam. Unless Optimus does a miracle and gets you to stay here. But I'm having my doubts, he's getting beat out there."

" Well, there's something new." smirked Megatron, before his face fell " I can't speak to Maggie. After what happened before, I don't entirely trust her, and I don't trust myself being around her alone, as well."

" What happened? You two had a fight?"

"She intitied, from my guess, the process of trying to forcefully reproduce with me some nights ago, which I aborted by triggering some negative emotional response from her."

" Whoa! Whoa! She tried to rape you?!" shouted Will. Wow, Maggie was sure full of surprises.

" Rape?"

" Nevermind...okay..I can see where you two are level-wise. How far did she get?"

" She was at the part of stripping me naked."

" And?"

" That's as far she went."

" So you two were not doing the nasty?"

" I...don't believe so."

" Oh, then your still a virgin." he smiled

" I'm not familiar with any of the vocabulary you've used so far."

" Ah, cultural quip. it means, you didn't go all the way with her, it was just some heavy petting. Which is a good sign. She likes you enough to hop into bed with...you." Will stopped, as he saw that he successfully confused the poor older man. " Never mind."

" Before you left earlier today, I wanted to ask....I want to show her, that I love her. But does that mean I have to reproduce with her? If it does, then that could be a problem."

" You don't have to have sex with her. That's just only one way to show her, but eventually, she's going to want to, and you might be curious enough to try it."

" I don't believe I will ever want to." huffed Megatron

" Never say never. It's hard for a man to not resist a woman like that. It's kind of hardwired into our species."

" So I've seen." he groaned

Will smirked " Don't tell me whatever she was doing, wasn't pleasurable to you."

Megatron turned away shamefully. It was a painful truth, but he did enjoy it. He wanted to blame it on underestimating how strong human instinct was compared to his stable and cold logic. But how could he explain the pleasure he was feeling? He couldn't deny that part, and the curiosity that he was trying to stifle, was coming through once more. " I know what sex entails. It's not the process that concerns me, it's...the results."

" Results?"

" I don't want children. At least, not human children."

There a slight pause in the conversation as William snorted, pinched the bridged of nose, but soon after began to chuckle loudly. This annoyed Megatron quite a bit. Was he mocking him? How childish. This was the reason why he hated humans so much, they were never serious about anything. Life was one big tickle of joy to them half the time. Now wonder they never evolved past their organic state. But at least their technology held some promise in the future. After all, most of their electronic devices were reverse engineered from him.

" I don't find any humor in this!" he growled

" You're worried about getting her pregnant?!" he continued to laugh " I'm surprised you even know how that's done."

" I don't want to father human offspring! It's...its' shameful! And how can I face my army again, if they found out I had illegitimate children with an organic?!"

" That you were busy with...alien relations? Maybe understanding the enemy a bit more?" he joked

" You're trying my patience."

" Sorry. I understand. You're worry is a common one, but you know...there's a way to prevent that from happening, without sacrificing the fun."

" What do you mean?"

" I shouldn't do this but...can you come with me? Just down the hallway, no one is gonna see you."

" Why should I?"

" You want to show Maggie your undying love, right? Well, I'm gonna help you, just trust me."

" ....Why are you helping me, when just a few moments ago I was the reason of your anger?"

" Because, I can see you're..not as bad a guy as I thought you were. There's some facets of your personality that reflect some civility."

" Really?"

" And some humor. Sorry to say, but you can be really hilarious without meaning to be."

" Oh joy." he groaned

" Come on." Said Will. "We need to get some stuff down at the medical wing, and with everything going on, I doubt anyone is going to bat an eyelash at you."

Distant thunder was soon heard, as the captain looked up instictivly. " Storm's getting worse, that works on our favor." He noticed Megatron's bare chest and tossed him his coat.

" Here, put this on. You'll poke an eye out."

" What?"

" Nevermind. It's not important."

* * *

Frenzy was already in the medical wing of the base, and the signal was only getting stronger. " I_'m almost there my lord! Hang on!" _he cheered, and made a quick duck behind a potted plant as a nurse came through the hallway. He counted. Only one hallway to go before he could get to Megatron. Even if he was the only Decepticon there to help him, at least there was a chance. After all, he helped Megatron escape Hoover Dam by melting him from his prison. This should be easy. He turned a corner, and quickly ducked down once more, as he saw two human men walk down the hallway. Frenzy was puzzled that his sensors were going crazy. They were saying that Megatron was exactly right there on that spot.

' _Must be a malfunction_.' he thought, watching the humans pass him by. One of the men, with dark hair, and an aggravated expression caught his attention.

" You haven't answered my question, fleshling. Where are you taking me?"

' _Fleshling?' _thought Frenzy. Strange, humans don't call themselves that...do they? He thought it was a odd.

" I'll tell you when we get there." said the blond smiled, pulling along the other man. For a split second, a reddish eye looked to the corner where Frenzy was hiding. The human turned his head to the hallway, but Frenzy was already hidden. The human man turned back to the other.

" What's wrong?"

" Thought I sensed something."

He wasn't the only one sensing something. Frenzy's sensors were also on high alert.

_"My sensors are telling me Megatron is right here. But there's only two humans. What's going on?" _he thought. He was concerned and frustrated. He was so close to finding his leader, and now he was having problems with his energy scanner? What a time for **that** to happen. Frenzy, slipped carefully across the hallway to the door that his signal was pointing to before the 'malfunction'. He saw the keypad panel right above him. But he was too short. _'Slag...' _He remembered the potted plant across the door, and tried to scoot it closer....or rather he would have...

" You.." said a voice behind him.

Frenzy's slowly turned to in the direction of said voice, optics widened, spark beating rapidly. He was spotted! His mode was set to attack, he'd tear that human's eyes out, and his blades flicked out automatically in response. It was either fight or flight, and he was prepared to do both, _" Sorry my lord...looks like there's a slight delay to your rescue."_

"...Frenzy?" asked the man

His blades dropped. " _He knows me? How?" _he panicked and hissed at the man. But the man showed no fear whatsoever. What was this?

William kept his distance, but Megatron stood his ground in front of the tiny mech, which looked like he was on the verge of defense and confusion.

" Soundwave's child." spoke Megatron is a language not heard before on Earth " What are doing here?"

Frenzy's spark nearly stopped. There was no way a human could know his father. No way in the pit it could happen. His sensors were practically screaming through his CPU, telling him that his leader was right there. But his optics dared not to believe it. It was a human there, not his leader.

" Frenzy." said the human again " Answer me. What are you doing here?"

He didn't want to believe it. He couldn't. There was no way. But the eyes...those deep red eyes, holding an authority that he knew so well before. The aura the man was emmiting was so familar. Why didn't he kill this human? Why was he hesitating? And he wished to Primus his sensors would stop lying to him. That human wasn't his leader. He wouldn't believe it, he couldn't, never, ever...but..

" You infuriating little mech! When I ask a question, I expect to be answered! Now anwser me!" roared the human

His blades flicked out again as he flinched. There was no mistaking that energy now. This man, was indeed...as hard as it was to process...his leader. He looked up at the human once more. Studied his face. It wasn't a human that was...no..his leader...became human?

" ...M...Megatron?" he asked fearfully

Megatron nodded tiredly. " Yes. It's me."

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

Cliffhanger!!

Yes, I haven't forgotten my cliffies. *evil laugh* And I owe a huge apology to my loyal readers. Sorry for the delay, I had a major test to take at school as part of the 'Exit exam' thing the schools are doing now. You can actually skip a grade if you pass. I don't know if I did but...I'm waiting on pins and needles. Anyways. Hope you liked this chapter, I'm trying to return to some of the humor that was present in the first chapters of this story, and not so much emo-ing and stuff. Big, big...**very big** credit goes to Sylentnyte for encouraging me to get this done and posted. She wrote parts 2 and 6 for this chapter. I know she's busy with her work, and her busy life, so I thank her so much for her contribution! Any little bit helps. You rock, girl!

As for the story, it seems...wait..how many of you guys are reading this before you're reading the chapter? Hmm? Let me see a show of hands. Ah ha! I knew it! Some of you are reading these notes beforehand. For shame! No no, I'm kidding. I'm okay with it. XDD But still, I was a bit shocked that I read some comments that people are reading the notes before reading the chapter. I've never heard of that, but I suppose if it makes you enjoy the story more, who am I to complain? Ah then...where was I? Oh yes, the story. Seems the Megatron isn't the only one who is getting taught a lesson by the Allspark, eh? Now Sam is it's victim. But hey at least they have something in common now, right? And who was surprised it's Captain Lennox who's doing the honors of teaching Megatron the 'facts of life'? Somehow I don't know if that a good thing or a bad thing. Considering he's quite a jokester when he wants to be. God knows how he's going to explain birth control, but I'm sure the results are going to be hilarious. At least for him and us, right?

Oh and Frenzy finally finds his leader! It's an aww moment, with some humor. Surprise Frenz' your master is a squishy! XD I'm sure the initial shock will wear off...hopefully. But on the bright side, he doesn't have to worry too much about Megatron harming Mikaela, since, you know...they're related by paper. *gigglesnort* And then there's the dreaded Simmons. Okay, so he's not that bad, but he's still trying to take the two lovebirds away from each other. But keep in mind, he ain't the villain. He's just playing a butthead for now. The one of the main villains is going to make his appearance pretty soon. *cough*Starscream*cough* and much, much later is...well..I'll let you guess that on your own. Remember, this story is bridging the two movies. I won't say who, if you can't guess. ^_~

**Q & A:**

**Mark**- Ah, just wait and see. ;) Things are just getting started!

**Meirelle**- Hehehe XDD...that's going to open up a whooole new world for him. And the person (or rather people) are going to have a field day telling him all about it.

**Katy-cakes:**

I try, I honestly try to get a feel for how aliens view humans through their eyes. Just as we're fasenated/grossed/confused by them, I'm sure they feel the same way about us. Also, I always thought Mikaela was portrayed as too shallow of a character in the movies. She's got an interesting background, being a female mechanic somewhat with a rep as a juvenile delinquent. Which is one of the reasons why I juxtaposed her with the Decepticons. Unlike Sam, she would be able to relate to them better. Most of the 'Cons she meets are somewhat misunderstood, rather than wholly evil. She knows where they're coming from.

**Lecidre:**

Thank you so much for your comments and encouragement! 3 I'm glad you're enjoying the story.

Aww, I feel the same way about Blackout's death too. It was quite a shame. He didn't seem like such a monster once Kayla sort of befriended him in the end. Even though it was too late to do so. And now she didn't just lose him, but Frenzy too. Even though she didn't really know she was his 'pet' (only in his mind), she at least considered him to be a friend. But don't worry, he will be coming back. We haven't seen the last of him, and he makes quite an impact on one scene with Sam soon.

Hehehe that was sweet to write. I've itching to write more M&M moments. I really miss them, and I want to see them get together soon (as well as between the sheets). I'm wondering about their relationship myself. It seems so hopeless huh? But love finds a way, only time will tell. And you're right about the creepy eyes being the Fallen. His old master is resurfacing...so that's also going to be a wrench in their relationship too. Optimus giving his brother "The Talk"? Hahaha. I was thinking of doing that, but Optimus has even less information on human reproduction than Ratchet. XD I'd bet Megs would know more than him.

And for everyone else, I have happy news...Blackout is coming back.

That is all. ^_~


	26. Measure of Humanity

_'There is just no way_.' thought Frenzy'_ No way in the Pit this could happen. It's not even scientifically possible_.'

And yet, he was here, face to face with his leader who had seemingly shrunk and changed species. Was this somehow a kind of extreme disguise to infiltrate the population? If it was, he was pretty impressed. It hadn't been no more than five seconds later, that that same man grabbed him by whatever limp he could, and carried/dragged the little mech down the hallway with the other human man following. They eventually stopped inside, what appeared to be, a kind of maintenance room.

" L-lord Megatron? How...why you s-squishy?"

" Ah, so I was right, this is a little friend of yours." smiled Will leaning against the door. Again, he was amazed by the variety of shapes and sizes these robots possessed. This one seemed to the be smallest he's ever seen. And it had blue eyes! And here he thought all Decepticons had red. Maybe there wasn't a color coded pattern there.

" He's the son of a friend of mine." said Megatron, before turning to Frenzy " What are you doing here? Where's Barricade?"

Frenzy was too much in shock at what his leader had become, to even anwser him straight away. He was looking frantically at both his leader and the other human man. He feared he'd soon turn into a human any minute now. " What they do t-to you? Is d-disease? C-could happen t-o m-me?" cried Frenzy,

" Primus, I hope not." groaned Megatron " You're a terror in metal, I'd hate to see you in flesh."

" It's not **that** bad." chuckled Will

" Because you have nothing to base off of. It's the equivalent of you suddenly becoming a cockroach. It's degrading." replied Megatron

With the fear of turning into a meatbag gone, Frenzy voiced his anwser to the question before." E-ssscaped from Barricade." said Frenzy, remembering quickly " L-left him lost."

" And the girl? Where is she?" he asked with concern

" Mi-ka-la? S-she is here in b-base like requesssted."

Megatron let out something like alien prayer of relief in his language. Will smiled secretly. He knew he was worried about Mikaela, he just didn't really want to admit it.

" We g-go now, yess?" said Frenzy, pulling at Megatron's jacket. " H-hurry! We go!"

" Go? Go where?"

" Away! G-go far away!" he cried " Hurry! Hurry!"

" Frenzy do me a favor, and speak our language. Your English is appalling." he groaned, holding the bridge of his nose

Frenzy switched back to Cybertronian. " _What I mean is, we need to leave this base! I saw Starscream and Thundercracker before coming here, they plan to kill you_!"

" What? They **dare** to?! I knew that slagger had the gyros to overthrow me, but **assassinate** me as well?!" he roared

" Whoa whoa! Assassinate? What's this about?" asked the solider

" Starscream, my Second in Command and his subordinate,Thundercracker. They were Seekers in the Decepticon faction. However, Starscream has been a little **too** enthusiastic about taking my place as leader, recently. I should have know his over ambitiousness would drive him to the point of killing me himself." he explained

" You **knew** he'd eventually kill you, and yet he's your Second in Command?" said Will " You certainly are a great judge in character."

" It was either employ him, and keep an optic on him, or kill him, and lose half my air force. At the time, I was in need of more troop support. Not one of my best ideas."

" I'll say."

Megatron turned to the tiny mech " Frenzy, did you hear when they would come? What's their plan of attack?"

" _They never mentioned it. They're still looking for you, because the signal you sent out was so weak. He thinks you're dying_."

Megatron chuckled " That works to our advantage. He doesn't know I'm human." he turned to Lennox " We're going to need to inform the rest of this base that it will be under attack soon. Look out for any suspicious jets, namely F-22s. "

" Well that's all fine and dandy, but without proper proof that we're going to be attacked, we'd be seen as causing an unnecessary panic." he explained " Plus, it's a storm. Anyone crazy enough to be flying out there is bound to crash."

" Just scan the airspace. It doesn't take much time, and it will give us an open window to counter attack. Their energy signatures will be read. And they're not ordinary jets, they can fly in much harsher conditions than what this little dirtball of a planet can dish out."

_" The humans don't have the same technology we have, sir." _said Frenzy " _Though that can be remedied with the right adjustments."_

" What did he say?"

" You're about to get an upgrade in your current technology. Lead me to your Airspace Op. rooms or whatever you use to watch the skies. We need a vantage point and some time."

" Like I said before, I don't think they're going to let you use that. Even I don't have that clearance." Explained Will

" If they fear for their pathetic human lives, they will. Frenzy, we need a distraction."

" _Yes my lord!" _he nodded

" Hey wait! You might not even have to distract anyone. If that room is locked, it will be empty. The computer terminal there is scanning the skies automatically. I can check that for you, but if people are in there, there's not much I can do."

" _If that doesn't work, just steal me a laptop_." shrug Frenzy

" That could work too." agreed Megatron

" What could work?" asked Will. All this translating from human to...machine, was getting confusing.

" Is your airspace scanners connected to a wireless sever?"

" I have no idea...though it's possible they might be. Why?"

_" We could hack into the system, without having to set foot outside the building." _smiled Frenzy

" Translation?" asked William

" Acquire a laptop, and he can hack into the airspace scanners, using himself as a scanner. Much like he did in order to find me."

" You're asking me to steal a laptop?"

" Not steal, just borrow. Any computer will do." explained Megatron

Looking at Frenzy, Will was impressed. " Can you really do that?"

" H-hacked AF1 in 4.2 s-seconds. Human s-systems, piece of cake!" said Frenzy, in the best English he could muster.

" I don't know about..wait..there's a computer in the rec room. No one is in there to the best of knowledge. We could use that."

" Where's the rec room?"

" J-just left it, d-down hall!"

" Great." said Will " Also, we should make a call, Optimus needs to know about this too." He dialed a number meant to contact the Autobot leader, but the phone tone was dead.

" There's nothing going through."

" Starscream likely jammed the communication system, as an extra measure to prevent any would be rescuers to come to my aid. I don't expect anything less from someone of his warped intellect."

" _Great, so what are we going to do?" _asked Frenzy

" We're going to need to scan the sky first, if anything comes up, we report it to Optimus."

" Looks like it, then. Well time's awasting, let's go!" said Will

* * *

" Man I am so bored. I read every single magazine in here five times." said Mikaela, flipping through a Cosmopolitan, but finding nothing but advice for half naked bimbos, who kiss up to rich, ugly old men. The Popular Mechanics, were just one big 'Let's show off our shiny cars because we're compensating for something else.". Either way, both of them were boring.

" I've seen the same commercial repeated 40 times already." said Leo " If I hear another '_Hi, I'm Mary. I hope this commercial has inspired you to pick up the phone'..._I'm gonna pick up a brick and hurl it at her face!"

" I think I figured out something about my tattoo." said Sam, prompting the other two to take a look. Sam had scrawled a number of symbols on the tabletop he was at. It looked like a crossword puzzle gone crazy.

" Why did you deface the table?" asked Leo

" It's my parents tax money they bought this with, so technically it's mine to deface."

" Can't argue with that logic. What's it all mean?"

" I don't know. It popped out of my head just now. I'm seeing these symbols, and I have to write them down. They may not mean anything to me, but maybe they do to Optimus and the others. For all I know, the Allspark could be channeling through me or something."

" Wait...wait! I've seen something like this before." said Leo, and pointed at one symbol " This one! This one with the little tail on the top and a line through it. I saw it on some papers my old man gave me on my birthday. They belonged to your grandfather, and he hid some of them, when the Feds confiscated everything."

" Wait? You know Sam's family?" asked Mikaela

" Not personally, no, but my grandfather did. He was a navigator for Captain Archibald Witwicky, and was also a close confidant."

" Wait..What papers? My family was given all my grandfather's belongings."

" **You think** they did! But they kept all the really juicy stuff. My grandfather was there when yours went mental, and began scribbling over every he could get his hands on. Mostly a series of notebooks, which were taken by the government, but, my grandfather hid one journal away when he returned to DC. He studied it, but didn't get anywhere. I looked at the journal once when I was visiting him, and that's why I recognized it."

" Do you know what any of it means?"

" Don't know, but this, the three lines, and a slash through it, it appears five times. So naturally it must be something important, or it could be a vowel."

" You into Linguistics now or something?" asked Sam, he had to admit, this guy was something of a curiosity.

" No, but it's a pattern. And I've already said so before, I see patterns very easily."

" It makes sense in a way." agreed Sam, and he marked the five same symbols, and two others that appeared frequently.

--------------

" Where were you going to take me before?" asked Megatron, going down a familiar hallway. He was amazed that he could remember the same hallway he was escorted through, before they locked him up in that pathetic excuse for a room. It was a broom closet of a room compared to the places he was passing now. It was like they stuck him in that tiny space on purpose.

" I was going to take you to the main medical office. They have a few things for that special night."

" Things?"

" You know, condoms and stuff, for when you and Mag..." Will was cut off by Megatron's hand before he could finish.

" What was that for?!" yelled Will, brushing the hand away

" Not in front of **him**!" motioned Megatron

" Why? Is he too young to hear those things?"

" He doesn't need to know about that, and yes, he is young."

" Am nooot!" cried Frenzy

" Yes you are!" retorted Megatron "You're only 14 hundred years old! Not even a mech yet!"

" Aw come on, it's not like the kid would understand what they were for." joked Will, little did he know, Frenzy knew quite a lot for his age.

" Con-doms? M-megatron fiiind a femme t-to frag?" he asked innocently

" To frag?" chuckled Will " Is that a word in your language for 'screw'?"

" Where did you learn that word!?" roared Megatron, causing the little bot to cower. " Did Barricade teach you that?!"

" Um..I d-don't know." shrugged Frenzy nervously

" That's a typical kid for you." smiled Will

" That's something I don't want to ever hear you repeat! If your father finds out, Barricade is going to be scrap."

" Is true? You like human femmes?" asked Frenzy " Groosss!"

" That's not something I want to discuss right now. We have bigger problems to..."

" Mikaela!" yelled Will, who was looking through a small side window of a locked room.

" Where? I don't see her." asked Megatron

" Mi-ka-la?" asked Frenzy, equally curious.

" When did she get here?" asked Will, he took out his card to swipe the lock.

----------

" Oh my god!" exclaimed Mikaela, quickly getting up

" What?" asked Leo

" Look out the window!"

" It's Captain Lennox and..."

" Megatron..." grumbled Sam

" In here! In here!" shouted Mikaela, and furiously on the glass

Eye contact between the man and young girl were made, and he quickly made his way to them, and opened the door.

" Heeey! What are you guys doing here?" chuckled Lennox " I knew **you **were here." he pointed to the girl " But not him."

" It's good to know you're safe." smiled Megatron

" Mi-ka-la!" exclaimed Frenzy happily

" Uncle Megs! Frenzy! Oh god, it's so good to see you!" she hugged him, and the little mech equally. She was sure she'd never see both of them again.

" Wait...he's her uncle?" asked Leo with a paranoid look. Did that mean she was a robot? Oh man, he knew someone that hot couldn't be human. But while greetings (and glares between Sam and Megs) were exchanged. Sam happened to look down at the new robot between the two men...at least..that what he appeared to be at first. Realization dawned on him that he had met that little robot before. A pair of optics and eyes were met, followed by two screams.

" It's that little freak from before!" yelled Sam. Frenzy was equally as scared.

" Wait...you know each other?" asked Mikaela

" He pulled off my pants, Mikaela! He's that freakish robot molester!"

This earned a blank look from Mikaela, who's mouth opened in an O when she remembered the incident. Of course! Why didn't see it before? Frenzy was that little bot that was chasing Sam....and she cut off his head with a chainsaw. Oh shoot...that was **him**?! Did he recognize her? Did he remember her? She really hoped he didn't, or there might be a problem.

" Witwicky.." said the little bot coldly, hiding behind Megatron

" You stay the hell away from me you freak!" cried Sam

" Hey hey! He's the one who saved me from Barricade. So give him some respect okay, or I wouldn't be here." explained Mikaela

" Well as much as love a good chit chat, we're pressured for time here. If that little guy is correct, we're about to be attacked by two alien aircraft. We need to know how close they are, and prepare the proper ammo of them. Old bullets and missiles aren't going to even tickle them if I remember the last time."

" Attacked? By who?" asked Mikaela

" Starscream and Thundercracker." said Megatron

" Can't you call them off? They're Decepticons like you." said Sam

" Sure, that could work well. All I have to do is stand there, and tell them not to attack." said Megatron sarcastically " If you've forgotten, my men don't know I'm human! If I do that, I'll be ashes on the wrong side of a laser! Not to mention, the jet in question is hunting me down to kill me regardless of form!"

" Sounds like my kind of jet." said Sam

" How about I introduce you to him personally!" he spat

" At least we'd have something in common!"

" You guys! This isn't helping us a bit, we have to work together." said Mikaela

" Why are you defending him? He was the one who had you kidnapped in the first place!"

" He did not! Barricade just went and took off with me, because he couldn't get his way."

" I-innocent until p-proven guilty!" cried Frenzy, defending his master's pride

" Sam, just believe me when I say... he had as much to do with it as your Mom."

Sam, turning to Megatron with a glare " They were still under your control. They're your army, if it wasn't for you, she never would have been kidnapped, and my life, wouldn't be as screwed up as it is now!"

" I suggest you stop while you're ahead, boy and keep your mouth shut." growled Megatron

" You're tell **me** to shut up!?" shouted Sam, walking up to him.

" I don't see any other pathetic looking insect in the room!"

" You just don't want to hear what I have to say, because I'm right, and you're wrong!"

Sam was suddenly thrust against the wall of the hallway roughly. A strong hand holding him down with surprising strength. " Listen you little maggot, before you point fingers, I suggest you get your facts straight. One! I didn't have anything to do with her being kidnapped. Two! I sent a signal to my followers to retrieve the girl, and bring her unharmed to this base. And three...I maybe human, but I could still **kill you**."

" Okay, that's enough. Break it up! Both of you!" said Lennox " Now this isn't going to help matters. We got a more serious situation on our hands here. Priorities people! We got a base to defend while we still can."

Megatron backed away from Sam, while Will laid out a plan like the strategist he was. " Now, we need to split up into teams of three here. Optimus needs to know about this, but communication seems to have been cut. The second team is going to scan the airspace for intruders, and I'm having my suspicions those jets are going to be invisible to our technology. So Frenzy will be coming with us."

" I'll do it." said Mikaela " I'll go tell Optimus."

" I'll go with her.: said Megatron

" No you wont." said Sam

" Sam, don't start!" she groaned

" Optimus needs to hear about this from another of his kind, there's information that needs to be said that can't be said in English. There are things about Starscream only I know about, and it's vital that he knows as well." explained Megatron, then turned to Sam "Unless you're well versed in Cybertronian."

" I'm still going anyways. Groups of three remember. I'm the third." said Sam

Will groaned " You can go, if you two don't botch up the plan. Keep your personal grudges out this. Okay?" Sam and Megatron' huffed and agreed.

" That leaves Leo, me and Frenzy to the computer work. Everyone got their positions?"

Everyone nodded and they split, one down the hallway, and one out of the building.

" Man this is like...secret agent stuff. I'm getting all excited here. " asked Leo to Will

" Well, this is only the beginning, kid. Don't let the thrill get you too worked." he smiled

* * *

" And with all due respect gentlemen, robots, and lady. I want to end this discussion that for the sake of National Security, that we take NBE-1 to a safe area, possibly Hoover Dam, or if there are no other areas, Diego Garcia where he will be monitored at all times. Ratchet will be allowed to treat him, and possibly, since he's working on a way to keep him human, inject him with whatever, to make sure he does stay human."

" You sick man." growled Maggie under her breath

" Easy Maggie." whispered Optimus, attempting to calm the woman's anger. He knew this information hurt her the most, but an emotional outburst of any kind, would only make this worse.

" Does anyone else, have anything to say on the matter?" asked Simmons, feeling rather self confident of the situation.

" I do." said Ironhide suddenly " While I agree on your logic of keeping humanity safe from Megatron, and all other Decepticons, I have to disagree on accounts you've charged against him."

" Which are?"

" As a Cybertronian, he falls under our laws of justice. Am I right?"

" Yes. That's correct."

" As a Cybertronian, he has slaughtered, and killed his own kind without mercy, doomed our planet, and threatened yours. However, as a human, who I believe was given a new identity...has not done such acts."

Maggie looked up in interest. Was Ironhide defending him? That was about the last thing she'd expect for him to ever do.

" That's...that's true." shuddered Simmons. Uh oh, did the 'Bots just discover a loophole?

" So the question I ask you is.... If he has done no crimes, no threats, no murders as Matthew Banes...does that not technically make him, a free man?"

" Wait just one second there!" shouted Simmons, only to be interrupted by Optimus

" A wise statement, Ironhide. One I have not considered until now."

" But we're talking about Megatron! The leader of the Decepticons, your sworn enemy!" yelled Simmons

" The Megatron I knew, died before the factions of our kind broke out, and the Megatron after that, also died in Mission City thanks to the help of Samuel Witwicky. As far as that's concerned, Matthew Banes has nothing to do with those incidents, except the fact that he has memories of it. And while I would want to justice to be served for all the lives he took, and the destruction that's caused, I fall under the same conditions as you now. As a human man, we have nothing on him." said Optimus

" He's still the same person, just a new name and body. That changes nothing."

" On the contrary, Mr. Simmons, I have been watching the changes of his character lately, and I can attest to say, he's almost an entirely different person. Whether it be him trying to adapt to a new form, or simply his body shaping his mind, it's safe to say, we're not dealing with the same Megatron back then. In fact, he seems more like the old Megatron before the war between our factions started. He's like himself again." said Ratchet

" Same Megatron? Old Megatron? Look..I know what you're trying to do here, and it's not going to work. You're trying to pull the old 'Split Personality' card, and according to law, that doesn't have any effect on the crimes he's committed. That just proves he's a nutcase that needs to be loaded with medication."

" He's neither insane nor suffering any mental identity disorder, the real 'card' I'm trying to pull, is an old soul in a new body. Let me give you an example. Say it were possible to move a vicious animal's very being into a body of a kitten. That body would be completely new, having not interacted with the world around it, nor have any relations to it. Would you say, this creature is like that of a newborn?"

" Well the body would, but not the creature inside it."

" Ah, but remember, no one in that world knows it was a killer animal. Everyone would assume it was simply, a kitten. That killer animal, has two paths it could take now. One, could be to resume it's old life's habits and become a killer in that body, or, it could chose to forget that old life, and live differently and maybe more peacefully than before. However, it all goes back the fact it was given a chance by whatever cosmic deity, to restart everything, except it's mind."

" So I'm guessing the kitten...is Megatron and he has two paths he could take, because the Allspark changed him to make up his own mind?"

" Exactly."

" That doesn't mean anything! He's still himself! He can still kill people, and you've seen already, he's endangered the life of the someone who was by paper, supposed to be his niece! He hasn't changed a bit!"

" Then if that doesn't work for you, Mr. Simmons, how about this one. Megatron isn't known as Megatron on this planet legally, infact, according to the rest of the government, he's dead and gone. So what would they make of a man named Matthew Banes who has no record of criminal activity, to suddenly be thrown into solitary confinement for no reason at all? Wouldn't that raise a few suspicions?"

" Under that same government, he's still known to be NBE-1. New name or not."

" Then why is Mikaela Banes his niece? Wouldn't it have been best if he had no identity at all? It would have solved your current problem. But since he's considered a separate person from his previous form then he has no crimes under that new form. You can't imprison someone who isn't himself." said Ratchet

" You officially have pulled a mind screw on me, and I don't appreciate it." said Simmons " Explain to me again, how all this went from law to supernatural?"

" You guys gave him that new identity. Thus, your government system, just shot itself in the foot. How about that explanation, then." chuckled Ironhide

" It is supernatural from this standpoint, if you really think about it. It's as if someone claimed to be...oh..Adolf Hitler in another life. Could you sentence him to death?" Asked Maggie

" No, because that wouldn't make any sense!"

" Which is exactly my point." said Ratchet

" We can change that you know!" retorted Simmons " We can give or take an identity away."

" Um actually, you can't. It's been more than 24 hours since that time to revoke it, and he's established himself as Mikaela Banes' uncle, If you revoked that identity now, he would be presumed dead or missing by law, and Mikaela could in all respects, could start an investigation. Which, with the amount of witnesses to both this discussion, and his existence...well..that would put you in some really hot water. And for Sector Seven to save face, guess who loses their job?" smiled Maggie

" That's assuming that he **does** stay human!" said Simmons " Once he goes back to being his old self, well...that's when we will be there. So you better pray that Ratchet can finish that cure in time."

" But until then, he cannot be taken away. And to insure he doesn't, he will be under our watch," said Ironhide " If it comes to it, I will see to it myself."

_'Ironhide_.' thought Maggie ' _You big, old softie, I could hug you!'_

" If the time comes, he does resume his natural form, then all crimes he's committed, will be addressed, by both Cybertronian and Human governments." said Optimus

" Not **if**." said Simmons " But **when**."

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

Yes, short but sweet, however we are getting into 2nd movie territory here, what with Sam's magical growing tattoo. I thank Sylentnyte for that clever idea, and twist on the glyphs that Sam sees in his head in the movie. Instead of almost getting his brain cut out, Sam will just be turned into a living map, every time he uses that little spark ability. That ability is going to prove both helpful and harmful as the story progresses. And who's cheering over Ironhide's little speech there and Ratchet backing him up? Talk about loophole! Megs and Maggie certainly have something to celebrate over now. Well..maybe not too much. Megs might not be too happy about the prospect of staying human, just so he won't get carted off. I also made sure, when I was writing, that Maggie's love interest in Megatron didn't show in front of Simmons. There's a reason for this, but I won't reveal it yet. ^_~

On other note, I think I'm becoming a fangirl of Frenzy. I meant to write him as a cameo in the story, but he turned into a main character. He's got his uses though, he's not excess baggage, and he's going to take the place of Wheelie, which frankly, didn't so much but lead the others to Jetfire, and ceased being helpful from that point on. Not so with Frenzy! He's a spaz most times, but he will definitely be live up to his job description of spy and hacker. And then Leo is already proving to his expertise in patterns and his connection to Sam's past. He's not a comic relief like he was in the movie, but at least he's not a spare tire who cracks flat jokes.

And as for the excruciating wait where Maggie will finally get to nail Megatron..well, you're just going to have to wait longer. But the good news is, I already wrote the sex scene! I have a file on disk with the whole steamy chapter ready to be posted when the time finally comes. And to those who are concerned over the _Lemon_ which is going to hike up the rating of this story, you'll be happy to know that it's not a major part of the plot, so you won't be missing any valuable stuff in it. Sylentnyte already got to read the rough draft, which goes into 'more-detail-than-is-legal' on this site (aka major fanservice). The version you guys will be reading will be watered down for obvious reasons. So if you want, go bug her about the juicy details. No no! I'm kidding, **don't **bug her! She's a busy girl, and she's been a doll to write parts 1 and 2 of this chapter. Speaking of which, she's mentioned on her art account that she wants to write a fanfic of her OC Rivet and Candice. And I'll be dead honest with you guys, go check out her work. Rivet's holoform is **hawt**! And he's a servant to Candice just like Sebastian from Black Butler! *Moe!!* Can you guess I have a butler fetish? Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and I thank everyone for all the comments they left. They inspire me and keep me writing. You guys are just awesome! :D

**Q and A:**

**Lecidre- **Aw sorry for the wait! I was so caught up in exams, but Nyte kept insisting through email I get this chapter out ASAP. LOL Ironhide as a femme is a creepy mental image. 'She' would be one tough femme though, maybe a little butch. And yes, I wanted to portray Ironhide as a fatherly mentor to Bee. Optimus is usually seen as the fatherly type, but I think Bumblebee would look up to Ironhide as what kind of warrior he wishes to be. Strong and loyal. The 'Men's talk' was tough to write, to be honest. I went through two different drafts for that, one ending more in a fight, and one ending too abruptly. Will is more of the friendly type here, wanting to understand the complexities of Megs' and Maggie's relationship. I think it makes sense he'd be protective of Maggie, since he's a friend of her's. He still doesn't trust Megatron that much, but sees the potential of how much he could change, if given the chance. And the food! XD Megs still needs to work on forks and spoons, since he's so used to finger foods. But it's good to see he's trying new things now, and not just pizza. You're right, he's going to miss all those tastes once he changes back.

I think it's time that he did fess up about Maggie. He's had a lot of time to think about it, being in that little room. (I hate keeping him in here). He's gone past the stage of denial and finally into acceptance. He does love her, but the pain of wanting to keep her would hurt a lot. And then the possibility that he'd forget about her would be even more terrible. All those wonderful times would disappear. That must be really scary to imagine. And that's going to be the big question for the following chapters. Will he forget his time as a human, or will he remember it? What does the Allspark have in store for him? Told you we wouldn't see the last of Frenzy! He's going to have a big part with Sam pretty soon. LOL! Frenzy is confused...that was such fun to write. I surprised by the fact that he found out his leader is human, hasn't made him go into shock. Maybe it's the fact his leader hasn't changed too much in personality. And Sam..aw, I feel for him sometimes, but I personally love to torture him as much as I do with Megs. The Allspark is such a sadist, kinda like me. XD And Blackout is back! I just couldn't let him die like that. He went the through the biggest character development outside the main characters, so he's going to join the fray once more. And thank you for your continued comments and critique of my story. I really, really, really, appreciate it! *hugz*

**madisonxhougen**- I will and thank you! ^^

**jeremy hollis-** It would have been either Will or Epps, heck, I was even considering Sam but..meh..Will is in more contact with Megatron than anyone else. Yeah, that plan of Simmons is just stupid beyond all reason, but that's how he is. Just trying to get himself a bigger paycheck while being an ass to everyone else. But now he totally got 'faced' in this chapter! XD And don't worry, Megs is going to be rolling in the sheets with her before then. Hidden cameras!XDLOL Something like that is going to happen, but I'm not going to give it away just yet. But it's going to be funny as hell. And I had to throw in a past TF ref in there somewhere. Leo kind of reminds me of Carlos a bit.

**giacbk- **Aw sorry about not updating sooner. Life just doesn't give me enough time to do what I want. I'll try to not make you guys wait so long, hope this chapter was enjoyable. Thanks for the continued loyalty!

**super-chunky-monkey- **That it is, that it is! You can imagine how intense it gets for me just writing it. This chapter was a bit intense too. I'll try to get those updates sooner, if my busy life allows. Sorry for the wait!

**dzeniibby-** Hehehe, makes me happy that you folks are happy with Blackout's return. I couldn't let him off that easy, I haven't tortured him enough. I'm joking. XD And you are correct! It's The Fallen! *Gives you a box of donuts* It's part of the whole, 'bridging the two movies' plot of the story.


	27. Blackout

" How long do we have?" asked Will to Frenzy, as he jacked himself into the machine to use to scan the air space of the base. But it wasn't enough, as the computer system couldn't handle the processes of Cybertronian tech. It was just too primitive, and Frenzy was annoyed by it all. Sure humanity reversed engineered the technology from their designs, but left much to be desired in terms of functionality. As far as 'their' technology was concerned, it was 99 cent store cheap.

" Too s-short to scan." he replied

" Huh? Short?" asked Will

" Short." he said quickly. Honestly, humans had lousy attention spans.

" I'm afraid I don't understand you. What do you mean by short?"

" S-short! Scan is s-short! Won't pick up! Use-lesss!" he shouted pounding the infernal machine with his small fist.

" Whoa! Take it easy little dude! Breaking that isn't going to help us out much." said Leo, which didn't do anything to calm the little ball of blades, except to cause him to spit out a few expletives in his native tongue.

" Gotta love language barriers." said the solider sarcastically. " Look Fritzy.."

" Frenzy!" yelled the little mech

" Sorry, Frenzy..look, I know English isn't your first language, but try to make your sentences just a tad more understandable. Okay?"

" As a fellow bi-lingual speaker, they say the best way to get your point across, is to use visual cues. That, or texting!" smiled Leo, and out popped a tiny little red creature from his shirt collar. Frenzy and Will's attention was immediately drawn to it. Will was yet again, amazed at the sheer number of sizes these aliens could take, and here he thought Frenzy was smallest of his kind. As for Frenzy, he had never before laid optics on such a delicate looking little femme. It was vaguely organic in appearance, not to mention, extremely young. Much younger than he was, almost an infant.

" Where did **that** come from?" asked Will

" From a happy accident. She came around when Sam used his freakish mutant powers to bring his cell phone to life. She took a liking to me, and I named her Decibel." he explained, as the little creature let out a tiny chirp. Blue optics met blue optics, and immediately she studied him curiously. It was the first time since coming to life, that Decibel saw another of her kind.

" I thought of her when she started talking to me awhile ago. Well, not talking by speech, but by text message. She spoke English fluently. So I figure, she could be a kind of translator for us."

" How 'bout it? You want her to speak for you?" asked Will to Frenzy

Frenzy eyed the little bot, not expecting such a young, Earth made femme to understand even the basics of his home world's language. He spoke a few words, which the mantis-bot texted back into English. Thoroughly impressed, he spoke more, and the two humans began to get the gist of what he was trying to say finally.

" So we need a larger computer, huh? The largest one is the air space scanner, but I don't have access." said Lennox sadly

" You guys got a control room?" asked Leo

" Yea, we do, why?"

" Instead of a bigger computer, why not use several?" he beamed

" _That could work! If there's a main hub, I can use that!" _said frenzy, translated by Decibel

" Then we're in luck, because it's just a three doors down." pointed Lennox

Just then, a crack of thunder rolled through the sky, and in the blink of an eye, the three were plunged into darkness. It didn't take long for them to figure out what happened.

" Slag it!" shouted Frenzy

" Ditto." said Leo

" This just isn't our day, huh?" said Lennox

* * *

Meanwhile, with our other trio...

" I can't see where we're going." said Megatron, squinting through the semi-darkness of the corridor, visible only by the light from the windows. " How do you know this is the way out?"

" We made two rights, a left and another left. So we should be close to the air field thingy I saw, before we were put in that room." said Mikaela. Luckily, she had a small light on her key chain, though it didn't help all that much, being so tiny. It was still better than nothing.

" What I'd give for my other form's internal GPS right now." sighed Megatron. He had faith in the girl, at first, but now he was convinced she didn't have a clue about the exit. He also couldn't believe the amount of hallways and doors that lined the place. It was like a maze. One wondered how the humans that worked there could find their way around.

" She's right, I counted two lefts already. We should be there." said Sam, and gave a rub to his arm absently.

" Sam stop scratching that thing!" said Mikaela, shining the light on her boyfriend's tattooed hand. She was worried, from what he told her and Leo before, that a scratch could bring to life a mechanical device.

" I can't help it, it's itchy. It's worse then poison ivy." said the boy, trying hard to not touch it.

" What's wrong with your arm?" said Megatron

" Nothing, just itchy."

" Cut it out Sam! It's going to do something weird!" said Mikaela

" What's she's talking about? What is that?" asked Megatron. If there was one thing he didn't like, was being left out of the know. Especially when it concerned an enemy.

" It's my arm and I can scratch it if I want to!" he retorted

" We have enough problems to deal with without that thing bringing to life another creature."

" Now it's bothering **me**." growled Megatron

" Oh, so what if it is?" said Sam

" How about I rip that arm off your miserable body then?"

" I'd love to see you try!"

" Will you two shut up? I swear you both act like five year olds!"

" Everything would be fine if you two left me alone with my freakish alien tramp stam...Ow!"

" What is this?" asked Megatron, still holding Sam's hand in a firm grip in the dim light. The designs and lettering of his ancient race's language was spiraled and twisted around the arm of the young boy. Shining like bizarre silver ink. " Why do you have this scrawled on your skin?"

" I got it from your stupid Allspark! Now let me go!"

" Then it seems it left you a message."

" Really?" asked Mikaela " What does it say?"

" It's incomplete. It mentions something about the sun and some sort of device."

Sam groaned " Wha...another one? What am I? An alien device magnet?"

" Why would the Allspark choose you to be it's vessel?"

" Hell if I know. I thought after all this, I'd go back to being normal. But it seems the powers that be aren't done messing up my life further."

" And don't you think I have problems? If you haven't noticed, I don't particularly care to be stuck as a **worthless sack of meat**!"

" That means you two have something in common." smiled Mikaela " Besides me that is."

" Regardless, we got better things to do." said Sam " Time is wasting and your Second-in-whatever is probably on his way here."

A darker colored door caught Mikaela's eye as she checked the lock and found the electric security was disabled. " I think I found the exit, guys." chimed Mikaela. She opened it, expecting to see the outside, only to to step into darkness, then light. There was a battery powered lamp lit inside the room, hanging on a hook near the door. Curious, she peered in and...

" Oh my god..." she gasped

" Kayla?" asked both men, only to stop dead in their tracks

" That's..." she started, tears threatening to well up in her green eyes. Megatron pushed his way past her to confirm what he was seeing. The three saw before them what looked like the mutilated and battered remains of what could have been a large black helicopter, only in looks. But everyone there knew exactly what it was. It was a robotic alien. It's lower limbs torn to shreds, it's optics all but dead and empty sockets where fierce red once burned.

" Blackout..." cried Mikaela

* * *

'_A blackout? At a base?' _thought Maggie, sitting in the dark with three robotic mechs and a human male, trying to get an old backup generator to work. Ironhide had fiddled with it, but after several tries, called it a worthless piece of scrap and left it alone. Optimus illuminated the object for Simmons from an inner light source. Ratchet had since went outside to the medical wing for any battery powered lights.

" You know, maybe it's me but, I would think a government funded base would have more...I don't know...top of the line equipment for this kind of thing?" asked Maggie

" Then you don't know how cheap the government can be." said Simmons " Hold the light steady, I think I got it." And suddenly the device sprung to life, as Simmons declared with great joy as he flicked on a switch

" Let there be light!"

" Wow, I'm impressed." snarked Maggie

" You should be, otherwise you'd be sitting in the dark all day." he said.

" I'm sure I would have managed." she said " And I wouldn't be sitting here, I'd go out to a windowed area or go check on the kids. I haven't seen or heard from them all this time."

" I'm sure they're in the same place they were escorted to. They're fine."

" And bored, and probably hungry. I know I am." she said

" Where are they anyway?" asked Bumblebee, carrying a few wet boxes from outside.

" Their in the control building in the lobby, and probably fairing better than we are in this hanger. It's pouring Niagara Falls out there!" exclaimed Maggie looking at the young wet Autobot and the rain outside. Ratchet soon followed him in, shuddering from the unpleasant moisture.

" I'm too old for this. I should be working on my next project, not fetching boxes."

" What are you working on?" asked Simmons

" I'm working on a way to keep Megatron human, as I explained earlier. With the previous incident, I managed to extract a sample of his DNA and isolate the cause. All it took was a bit of reverse engineering to see how to regenerate the non mutated strands, from the mutated ones. Very simple."

" For you maybe. But that kind of technology is something we humans wish we could do." said Maggie

" How can you isolate a strand like that? There's millions!" asked Simmons

" You forget, humans only have 23,000 strands. Fruit trees are more complex than that."

" That's great Ratchet! When do you think it will be done?" asked Maggie happily.

" Hopefully by the end of the year."

" You see?" she smiled smugly as Simmons

" That means nothing. He could still change back within that time frame."

" You're so pessimistic!" she said

" Not pessimistic, realistic! I don't think you understand who this guy really is, so let me fill you in, because it's obvious that you fo.."

Maggie stepped up right there, determined to set things straight. She was tired of hearing him bad mouth Megatron. " I know who he is! Better than you! In fact, a night ago we were this close to having..."

The hanger's front door burst open as a solider walked in, soaked, but frantic " Sir! We got a problem!"

" More like **problems**, what else has gone wrong?" asked Simmons

" The generators are down, but not due to the storm. I think...it's them."

" Decepticons?" shouted Simmons, he turned to Maggie with a glare " You **know** him, huh? A little strange that they'd be here of all the bases on this planet."

" But...he...that has to be a coincidence!" she cried

" As I stated before, there are no coincidences in this profession. I want Megatron brought to me, now!" he ordered

' _Oh no..'_ she thought.

* * *

" The human's generators have been destroyed." reported Thundercracker, shivering from the wet weather. His leader on the other hand, nice and dry under an awning from an used hanger. With the weather, the humans' vision was limited, and they could appear as simply mechanical constructs of the base's architecture.

" Excellent. This is going as smoothly as I planned. Without any other electrical interference, finding Megatron's location should be simple."

" Actually, Starscream...I haven't been able to find any trace of Megatron."

" He must be in an underground chamber then."

" Negative. I've studied the blueprints of this base. It's a very standard design, meant mostly for aircraft."

" Then why was Frenzy trying to get here so quickly? And why was the signal so strong before?" growled Starscream

" Starscream, I don't want to say this but...what if this is trap set up by the humans? For all we know, Frenzy could have defected to their side and.."

" Are you suggesting that these insects are smart enough to send an encrypted Cybertronian message in order to lure us out? That would be next to impossible to do. Even **we** don't have the ability to mimic another Cybertronian energy signature. Frenzy maybe a child genius, but I seriously doubt he is able to do something of that sort with the limited technology here. No, Megatron is there...somewhere. And if we can't locate him...then we'll get a human to do it for us.

Thundercracker gasped " What? But I thought this was suppost to be a covert mission? So that the human hive isn't shaken up enough to gather too much attention?"

" A change in tactics. Subtlety isn't working, and they're cut off from contacting any help from the outside. So we will attack and demand they hand over our leader and be destroyed." he explained

" Don't you mean...'or be destroyed?' The humans aren't our enemies."

" You're absolutely right. " smirked Starscream " They're tools to be used, and then disposed of."

" That isn't what I meant. Remember Mission City and how the humans could still contact each other. I think..."

" Your constant second guessing me is getting very tiresome, Thundercracker! I don't actually **need** a Second in Command! And you know what happens to things I don't **need**!" He spat, grabbing the smaller Seeker's left wing firmly and pulling him to the ground. Being a sensitive part of the body, he limply fell to his knees beneath his older cousin. It was even more painful of a grip before, and his hissed as the metal claws of Starscream dug into the plating.

" Forgive me." he pleaded" My leader, forgive me! It wasn't my place!"

" The next time you doubt my orders, I will leave you here to the insects to swarm on, and not a ounce of fuel to use to fly away. Do I make myself clear?" he shouted, and let him go roughly.

" Yes, sir."

" Good, now, now for phase two."

* * *

" Oh god. This is what became of you?" cried Mikaela, her tears once again fell for her reluctant savior, now laying before her in a pile of metal and ashes. He deserved a better place to rest than this warehouse.

" Was this the one that saved you?" asked Sam

" Twice. Even if he didn't admit he was, he was a hero." she replied

" He was one of my more loyal followers." said Megatron " He was a good mech."

" He said he regretted serving you." said Mikaela, half smiling

" That maybe so. He was still one of my top fliers. I should have made him my Second in Command instead. A pity."

" He would have wanted to hear that." she smirked, stroking the cold metal of his torn apart body.

" ...Maybe he could." mumbled Megatron. He turned to Sam. " You there, boy, come here!"

" I have a **name** you know!" he grumbled

" Give me your hand." he said, and pulled Sam by the arm, placing his palm on Blackout's body.

" What? wait! No!No! I'm not going..." he was cut off by a sudden jolt of energy, very different from the previous times. It was like part of him, part of his soul was thrust through his body and out his hand. He fell to his knees, and a sudden surge of nausea overwhelmed him.

" Sam!" shouted Mikaela, rushing to her boyfriend's side, as he shuddered from the shock. She raised her head to glare at Megatron. " Megs! What the hell!"

" It's working." smiled Megatron " What an amazing power."

The three watched as the burnt pile of scrap began to twist, and piece itself slowly into a humanoid shape. Metal screeched, processors whirred to life and wires reconnected. Not everything was reattached, but enough had reformed for the mechanical giant to shake himself, as two fierce, piercing red eyes lit up. Followed by a familiar voice. " Uggg...wha..where am I?"

" Blackout!" shouted Mikaela

He turned to the voice, looking down at his feet, whatever was left of them. He couldn't believe it, it was that defiant, but determined little human girl he saved from before. " Little femme? Oh..you're a sight for sore optics. What happened? I thought I offlined back there?"

" You did, but Sam got you back somehow." she smiled through her tears, and helped Sam up to his feet. He waved awkwardly at the mech.

Blackout leaned toward Sam and peered at him curiously. " You some sort of medic? I gotta say, you did a good job with the internal work and repairing my sight, but the body work leaves much to be desired." he grumbled, then turned to Megatron " And who's this?"

" My uncle." said Mikaela

" Megatron."said Sam

Both in unison.

"Come again?" he asked

" He's...Megatron." stammered Mikaela

" Megatron?" asked Blackout, his face plates contorted. Couldn't be. Megatron was dead...wasn't he? The again, that message he received had to have come from somewhere, and it couldn't be faked. So..This was what became of his great and glorious leader?

"_ The Allspark's idea of a practical joke_." he said in Cybertronian, giving Blackout the assurance that he was, who he said he was. Megatron waited for the usual reaction to this news.

Instead...the black mech roared with laughter.. " Of** alllll **the things! And you get turned into a..."

" Stop that!" shouted Megatron " You're a solider, now act like one!"

Blackout only continued with the mockery. " Sweet justice! A fate befitting of you, oh mighty Megatron!"

" I order you to stop that at once! This is no time for such..."

" You have got to be joking! **You** order **me**? In that pitiful body? Hahahaha!"

" He's my kind of guy." smiled Sam

Megatron growled at them both " I get the boy to revive you and this is the way you treat me?"

Blackout stopped and stooped down at his former leader turned human. " This is mild compared to what I want to do to you! You know how much pain and suffering I went through? Huh? I lost a good partner! I lost my sight! And then I got shot in the aft!" he pointed to his rear to add emphasis.

" Ouch." said Sam

Megatron would have none of this though, and remained the ever fierce leader he was...at least in personality. " You knew the risks when you joined our cause! How is that my fault?"

" Because I did it for you! And this is the fate I get stuck with? Well 'Screw you!', I'm defecting from the Decepticons as of right now!"

" You can do that?" asked Mikaela

" Insubordinate traitor! That alone is enough for execution! Your dead body will used as an example for the entire faction, mark my words!"

" Oh, and will you be dishing that out, sir? Unless your fleshling body has a fusion cannon under that skin." he snorted

" And I suppose you're joining Optimus?"

" Pfft! He's even worse. No, I'm defecting to.." he looked around him, as if there was large selection of leaders in the warehouse. His red optics fell on none other than.."...the Femme."

" Me?" exclaimed Mikaela " But, I'm not a leader!"

" I beg to differ. You showed quite a bit of authority around me despite what you are. That takes bolts, not to mention, you were there by my side when I was dying. Not just anyone would do that. You're as much of a leader as any I've seen. It would be an honor to serve under one as lovely as you."

Mikaela blushed. " Wow.."

" Well at least you have good taste." said Megatron as he eyed Sam from afar. Sam caught that inflection.

" She's gained my respect, rather than instill fear to earn it, like you did."

Megatron stayed silent. Not out of being bested in the conversation, but as a question in his mind. 'I instilled fear? When did I do that? When did that happen?'

" How is it that Decepticons are nice to you?" asked Sam to Mikaela. She shrugged.

" Maybe it's her cleavage. It's like a black hole, you get sucked in." said a voice from the hallway.

" Whoever said that must not want to live anymore." she glared at the form of Leo peeking through the door.

" What are you guys doing here? Aren't you supposed to be trying to get to Optimus and the others?" asked William, from the back Leo

" We got lost." Said Sam and Mikaela awkwardly

" A minor detour, however we did recover a comrade." he gestured to Blackout

It took a few seconds more to make Leo realise, that another alien robot was standing in the room. A Decepticon at that. He stepped back quickly " Whoa! It's another one? This one has red eyes though."

" A friend of yours?" asked Will to Megatron

" Ex-solider." he corrected

" Seems you've made friends with the human colony." said Blackout " Very unusual of you."

" Some of their interaction has been useful."

" Where's Frenzy?" asked Mikaela looking around for the familiar hyper ball of blades she had come to know.

" He's in the control room, trying to hook a few machines to himself, since the power was cut. He's currently the only power source right now." said Will

" Have you guys found out how far off my Second in Command might be?" asked Megatron

" Starscream? He's here?" asked Blackout

" Not yet, but they will be." said Sam " They're going to try to attack us and more likely kill us all."

" Not while I'm here they won't." growled Blackout, as he attempted to get up from the ground. His metal joints screeched.

" Wow, you could use a serious dunk WD40." said William

" No offense Blackout, but you're not in the best condition for a fight." said Mikaela " Take it easy, you only just came back from the dead."

" She's right. Besides, we have the Autobots here, so we stand a good chance." said Leo

" The Autobots? Primus no! Do they know I'm here?" asked Blackout. If it wasn't one thing it was other. He was wondering of the he was better being off-line."

" Not that I know of. No wait...yeah they do. But they think you're dead." said Mikaela

" That's not far from the truth." he looked at Sam again. " Hey kid...you think you could give me another..?"

" No! That last time was it! Do you know how painful that was? I felt like I was going to lose my non-existent lunch."

" Spare us the details, man." said Leo

" Well you got yourself another option. You could ask Ratchet to fix you up, he did wonders on Bumblebee." said Sam

" I wouldn't let that quack come even an inch from my servos!"

" Come on Sam...we could use his help. He's got an arsenal in there and the other Autobots can't fly." whispered Mikaela " Just one more time?"

He hated to admit, that she was right..again. All this time, she was right about stuff and he wondered how on Earth she could stay so sure of herself, despite that she could walk away from all this. She wasn't forced into this mess like he was, and he was having some serious convictions of his place in the universe. Sam sighed, wordlessly placed the palm of his hand on Blackout, and another jolt was released, not as strong, but just as unpleasant. He swallowed back the urge to puke, and watched the remaining parts of Blackout fall into place, and repair itself.

A deeper thought soon hit him, as he watched the former Decepticon get on his feet, each small inferno in his eyes burning with delight as he found he could walk without a limp. This power..he didn't want anything to do with this, why couldn't the Allspark or whatever powers that be, understand that? He just wanted to be Sam Witwicky, 17, a senor, ready to hit the real world with a normal car, and maybe a girl by his side. He had the car, he had the girl...but he also was part of an alien war out of circumstance, and now he had an unknown and potentially dangerous power, literally buried under his skin. And this was only the beginning, there was so much more in store...he knew that. And it scared the hell out of him. He saw the tattoo glow and new symbols appeared, twisting and spiraling like liquid metal. How much further would this go? Until his entire body is gone? Then what? A sense of dread ran through him.

'_ What has the Allspark done to me?'_

And as the symbols of his arm fused into him, a pair of red, but still human eyes glanced from afar in pure intrigue.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

Phheeeeew! Finally! My exams are done and I'm back on the interwebs! I felt like I was in prison or something being away like that! And I say a huge thank you to Sylentnyte for her writing help on parts 1 and 2. She's amazing isn't she? Being such a busy bee and still being able to co-write for me. And also a uberhuge thank you to everyone who waited for an update from me. I won't make promises but, I hope I never leave this story like that again. I really hope you enjoyed this chapter, because the action is heating up! We're officially in movie two territory here.

Seems Sam is getting some more character development. What with his 'alien tramp stamp' and it's power to bring not just machines to life, but dead ones too. Megs puts that ability to good use huh? He and Megs are also sort of seeing eye..well..I don't see them ever seeing to eye, but at least they're cooperating a bit. Or are they? Looks like Megs is getting interested in that tattoo, but is it a good interest? We're talking about Megatron here, so is it ever good? Oh and let's not forget..Blackout is back! Yes! I was dancing in my seat when I wrote that part, and that he finally got to tell Megatron what-for for all the abuse he had to put up with. Laugh it up Blacky, this is the only time you'll be able to without a fusion cannon blast to the face.

So what's in store for them all? When will Starscream attack? When will Maggie and Megatron properly reunite? Will Frenzy be able to get scan the sky in time? Will Mikaela be a better leader than her 'uncle'? Why am I asking all these questions? Find out next time on Cosmic Jo *gets bricked*.

**Q&A:**

**Mark**

Oh he will, he's the major villain of the story, so he definitely will. And I agree, his role was minimal. They wasted a good deal of screen time on those twins, who didn't do much for the plot really. Which is why I wrote the fic to take place between the two movies, with events happening much earlier, so that the Fallen could be properly characterized as the badass he is. And with at least one good reason to justify being scared of Optimus. Of course this is going to be later. So you're right, this is a slight attempt on doing a rewrite of the second movie. Though I'd call it, an alternate universe or alternate interpretation.

I don't think Megs even knew what happened to him, one minute he was injured by an alien attack, and the next, brainwashed by the Fallen via piece of lost technology. And then he wasn't on the best of terms with Optimus either..so.

Megs fighting the Fallen? Yeessss! That would epic! Sadly, he won't.

**Lecidre**

Hehe poor little He's had it tough so far. Actually what he says to Megs is a foreshadowing of some events to come, but I won't say what they are. ;) But it will be interesting.

LOL That was also a favorite part of mine. While Frenzy is one of the best Decepticon spies of his rank, he's still very much a kid. As Megatron did state, he's 14 hundred years old, not even a mech yet, so I wonder how old that would make him in human years. Probably pretty young. Maybe.

As much as a tyrant as Megs is, he's still got a side of concern for his troops, as little as it is. I think I'd attune it more wanting to keep order in his ranks, especially among the younger of the faction. Having them learn stuff they shouldn't, might make them more capable of defiance towards him later. But that's just my guess. Barricade does deserve to be scrapped what with the abuse Frenzy took from him, and injuring Mikaela pretty badly. However, he will be back, and he's gonna be pretty ticked about those two tricking and ditching him. He'll get his day though, just you wait.

I'm glad we can bring a smile to your face with each update. Your comments also brighten our day as well. :D

**Jinja the Ninja**

Thanks! We try hard to make this story rock as much as humanly possible! GASP! More fanart! :D Thank you! Please send a link to us when you're finished. I'll put it in my profile's Fanart Gallery to share with other readers. 3

**Jeremy Hollis**

It is a bit surprising about Frenzy's age huh? He's so young! But his age with come into play later on for him soon. (Hint: He meets Sam's Mom in one chapter.) Hehe I agree, it's about time Simmons got a kick in the ego. XD Serves his right for being such a jerk. Gasp! Better than cannon? Oh wow, don't know about that..but thank you very much! It's comments like yours that keeps little ol' writers like us, writing! :D We'll continue making this story as awesome as possible!

**dzeniibby**

No prob. And you're are right again! Frenzy is Soundwave's son. *tosses brownies at you* Though if he is Soundwave's kid...what would Lazerbeak be to him? His sister? XDD

**super-chunky-monkey-**

You're favorite TF story? *Blush* Glad you're enjoying it and thanks so much for your comments, I don't think you guys know how much I smile when I read them all.

**dinobots4ever**

You liked my story preview of this? Thank you! This is the second comment I've gotten on this part, and I got discouraged when I didn't get anything else. You want more of this plot? Hmm..I'll have to post it separately after I finish this story then.

**Soundwave**

Heheh You'll be glad to know I'm not then, since the next few chapters totally depend on him being the kick-ass Decepticon leader we all know and love. Don't know about the pet idea though. _;; Ah! All Hail Megatron? Do you read that comic series? It's awesome!

.


	28. Confrontation

It didn't take long before it was found that Megatron was missing, as well as the three kids. And with limited light and with everyone else busy trying to get contact with the city, Simmons had little help trying to locate NBE-1. Maggie smirked at the thought that Will might have had something to do with it, but kept it to herself. Simmons however, was furious.

" They train you guys for a reason! You can't even keep on eye on three kids! What do we even pay you for?" said the agent

" We're not a daycare. It's obvious that one of our men took them to another location. I'm sure if we call around, they'll be found along with Megatron." said one solider, who was clearly getting tired of Simmon's attitude. Sanderson, the lead tech of the base, was just as furious, though for an entirely different reason. Not only did he recently learn of Lennox's omission of some minor details, but also that they were left in the dark (literally) of who Matthew Banes really was. Had he known, he would have been shipped him to a better guarded place. Not an ordinary airspace base.

" I still can't believe Lennox didn't tell me we were harboring an alien here. I thought the old man he brought was some war criminal, not some robotic creature turned human." said Sanderson

" Communication isn't working, sir." said another solider

" It's because of them..the Decepticons. They want their leader back, and we're sitting ducks just standing here. I want him found! If they want him alive, we'll use him as leverage." said Simmons

" And what happened to him being innocent until he turns back? I thought you agreed to leave him alone until that time?" commented Maggie

" That was before I learned he decided to send an invite to all his buddies!"

" You don't know if that was him! What if it was someone else? Maybe there's a Decepticon secretly on base here."

" She's got a point. Ever since knowing about these creatures, I've started looking sideways at every device I see." said Sanderson

" Which is why I got this thing with me." said Simmons pulling out a small device that looked like a modded hand-held bar-code scanner.

" What is that?" Asked Maggie

" It's a little something my father cooked up while working for the sector. It acts as an alien detector. One swipe, and it will reveal if anything isn't made on our good ol' planet Earth."

" How come it's beeping at me?" asked Maggie

" Probably a bug." said Sanderson

" Doubtful. I think you've come in contact with an alien, a very close contact I might add." he said, holding over her head

" Get that pile of tinfoil out of my face!" she shouted

" Sir, we got a message." said one of the solider

" From where, I thought you said nothing's getting through." she said

" It's coming...from **i****nside** the base, sir."

" ...Let's have a look then."

" Look to the sky." he read it out loud

" What's in the sky?"

A silence fell upon the entire room.

* * *

Thundercracker didn't like it. Not one bit. The last time two Decepticons made an attack, one of them was damaged and another captured and possibly killed. And that was without sabot rounds. Now that the humans were being helped by Autobot technology, it just made the possibility of becoming slag all that more likely. Of course, he wasn't going to be complaining about that to his reckless cousin, for fear he'd be left at the base as humans finished him off. His frame shuddered slightly. He didn't like the idea of them doing what they did to his fellow soldiers. Their corpses picked and prodded over, their body dismembered limb from limb, stripped down to their circuits and then discarded like yesterday's scrap, when nothing else could be salvaged. Humans, as small and perishable as they were, were very scary creatures. And once angered and under their mercy, they were nightmarish. They did things not even a Decepticon would think of doing. Completely barbaric.

" I have a lock-on on Frenzy, he's moving again." said Starscream, perching himself on a old plane. Rust and and screeches below his clawed feet.

" Do you think he's lost? Maybe he can't follow Megatron's signal either." asked Thundercracker

" Oh he's following it, he's persistent. He won't give up easily, much like his father."

Thundercracker cringed upon hearing that. He knew what Starscream was referring to. Soundwave. Which brought the image of Lazerbeak, Soundwave's daughter and Frenzy's sister. He remembered the shot, the flowing energon...he didn't want to do that. She was a femme for Primus sake! There were so few now, even fewer in their faction. Sure she was loyal to her father, who in turn was loyal to Megatron, but...

And then there was whole thing about The Fallen, Megatron's master. Starscream felt sure he would make a better leader for the Decepticons, and wanted to prove that to The Fallen, who already lost patience with Megatron's lack of response to his messages. Oh sure, following Megatron was brutal and unforgiving, but at least he had a goal. Starscream was quickly proving that while he had the drive to be leader, he lacked the direction. Thundercracker wasn't the only one to share those sentiments, but he didn't voice them like the others. The Fallen was already considering Starscream to be Megatron's successor, and Starscream was here to make sure he would be. Even if it meant getting his claws dirty to get rid of his 'competition'.

But then that left the question of Megatron himself. What happened to him? Why was he suddenly cut off from the rest of the Decepticons. It was like he ceased to be entirely, which was a very tough thing to do among an army. Every fallen warrior who died, left an spark echo behind for a few vorns. Eventually they died off as they rejoined the Matrix. Megatron's spark got cut off instantaneously, like his very existence was stripped from reality. It left all who closely served him, shaken. The Fallen was the most affected by it, and he wasn't at all happy either. At first, he suspected treason, then something else. Something that Thundercracker only caught a slight word of before departing with his cousin to Earth. The Fallen suspected the Allspark did 'something' to Megatron, but what that 'something' was, was currently unknown. But whatever it was, it must have been drastic enough to completely wipe out the connection of his master. This left Thundercracker in awe and fear of the Allspark.

Especially since The Fallen mentioned that the Allspark couldn't be destroyed. That it could only transform. So technically, it was somewhere out there.

" Frenzy stopped." said Starscream

" Think he found him?"

" Only one way to find out." smirked Starscream.

* * *

Frenzy was beside himself...with anger. He warned the humans, but they didn't listen and worse still, he failed to get his lord to a safer place like he intended from the very beginning. Now he had to start all over again, looking for Megatron who no doubt was going to be at the wrong end of a laser if his energy signature was detected. He rounded a corner as he followed his master's unique 'mark' and found a dead end. No doubt the humans that were with him didn't have a clue how to get out. Not without an internal GPS anyways, the place was maze-like. This search was made harder with the current company he was keeping, an Earth-made sparkling who had a bad habit of asking one too many questions.

" _Who do they think I am?" _growled Frenzy, looking at the tiny little femme huddling on to one of his arms. _" I'm not a fucking sparkling sitter!"_

" _What's is a sparkling?" _she texted

" _It's what you are! Why didn't you stay with the meatbags who created you?"_

" _Humans_."

" _What?"_

" _Aren't they called humans?" _she said

" _I don't care what they're called. They're ugly, squishy bags of bones and pus!_"

" _Why?"_

" _Primus' idea of a sick joke! Now shut up! I'm tempted to just leave you here. You're annoying, good for nothing and in the way!"_

Frenzy saw the little femme drop to the ground with a thud and stay there. He tiny optics blue optics, that matched the color of his own, looked up at despondently.

" _The fuck is wrong with you now? Get up!" _he spat " _Your batteries dying or something? I got a job to do, and you're holding me back_!"

_" I'm...good for nothing_." she chirped sadly

" _Oh for the love of...! _" he threw up his arms " _Hey, I...didn't really mean all that. Come back here."_

" _No, I'm in the way and you hate me_."

" _Well, you're right about that, you are in the way and I do hate you, but not a whole lot."_ he explained " _I hate you with...about 80% of my being_."

" _Only 80%?" _she chirped, with a slightly happily tone.

" _Yeah, so there's room for another 20% of liking you. So that's not too bad." _he said "_ But if me stall me any longer, that percent will go down. So come on."_

"_ Thank you big brother_!" she said leaping on to his small frame and attaching herself to his shoulder " _I'll make that percent go up! You'll see! You'll like me at least by 40%! With a wider coverage at no extra cost!"_

" _Slag...what did I get myself into?" _he thought

* * *

Six humans, plus one ex-Decepticon, had already found themselves out of the building, and into the downpour of the storm. Blackout relished it, as it cleaned off the mud and debris that was caked on him since his 'death', as the humans dashed as fast as they could without slipping, from one gutter to another. This dashing about however, wasn't agreeing with Sam.

" Sam, are you feeling alright?" asked Mikaela, noticing how pale he looked.

" I feel like my stomach is doing gymnastics in my throat." he replied

" Hang in there kid. We're already here." said Will

" Where did Blackout go?" asked Leo, something that big, can't just disappear, though with the wind and the downpour it could be possible.

A deep rumbling voice answered from the back of their group. " Right here, fleshlings. Give me some time to readjust to my repairs. I feel stiff."

" There's the medical wing." said Will, and he quickly rang the service bell, as the door lock wouldn't open with electricity. A young woman answered it, it was the same medical assistant that Will spoke to before, Melissa Faireborne. She let all of them inside, except for Blackout, who was ushered through the side entrance and into the makeshift med-bay of Ratchet. Oddly enough, the medic wasn't there.

" Where's Ratchet?" asked Will

" He's in hanger 17, with Optimus Prime and Ironhide." she replied

" You're a nurse right? We got a sick kid here, probably in need of Pepto Bismol, and we have a robot that Ratchet needs to check out." he said

" I told you I'm not going to let that quack look at me! I'm fine! You see? I'm as healthy as a petrorabbit on high grade!" roared the black helicopter

" Who is that?" asked Ms. Fairborne " I've never seen him before."

" He's..." said Mikaela

" I was part of Ironhide's airborne team on Cybertron. 10th division, search and rescue." Said Blackout. The humans' jaws dropped. " What? It's true!"

" Oh." she said, studying him very intently. The mech wasn't aware of it, until his red eyes were caught in her warm brown. He felt a sudden spark, something he never felt before, but attuned it to being newly resurrected from the dead. Still, something about the woman intrigued him. He saw her once before, but where?

" Is there any communication here, or is it the whole base?" asked Will

" It's dead, the only thing lighting this place is a small generator."

" We still need to deliver that message to Optimus." said Sam " Where's hanger 17 from here?"

" It's two down on your left. But I don't believe going out there is a wise thing to do." said the nurse " Especially if you're not feeling well."

" We have to tell him something important! Directly to him! It's top priority." explained Will

" Alright, take these with you, it might not do much, but at least you won't get soaked...anymore than you are now." she said, giving them plastic ponchos.

" Sam, stay here okay? I'll be right back!" said Mikaela putting on the light plastic jacket.

" Kayla, no..I need to tell him about this." he raised his arm, showing the ever growing tattoo twisting down his arm. It was already up his elbow.

" There's a time and place for that, right now, they need to be aware of Starscream's plans." she said, and gave him a kiss on the cheek, then on the lips. " Wait for me."

" But Kayla!" he started to follow her, but was stopped by Megatron.

" She will return. You're in no condition to be out there."

" And you're have no right to stop me." retorted Sam

" Sam, for once, he's got a point. I'll be right back, it won't take more than 20 minutes tops."

" ...Be careful." he said

" I got good company, I'll be fine." she said smugly, pointing to Will, and Leo. " And try not to fight or Blackout will tell me. Right Blackout?"

" You don't have to tell me twice, femme. Good luck!" he said.

Sam, Blackout, Megatron and Melissa watched the four leave through the door, and into the waiting, roaring wall of water outside.

* * *

Frenzy stood by a door frame overlooking the outside. And he did not like what he saw.

Water. Water everywhere. How he hated this planet so much! Why did it have so much precipitation? There was no need for it! And then to top it off, he had a young femme with him who's construction conflicted with this type of environment. A good dunk in water, and she'd off-line. He was tempted to leave her there and come back later...if he remembered, but then he had already made a promise to give her a chance. So far, she was being agreeable.

" Alright, here's what we're going to do. I'm going to open my inner frame, and I want you to stay in there until we get out of this mess. But don't you dare touch anything in there or I will reconfigure you and use you as a spare USB device, got it?"

She nodded, and he opened his a small inner compartment usually meant to store his weapons. He had only three in there now, but it least it made room for the tiny femme. She scooted against the inner walls, and he squirmed. Was this how it felt for his father when he, Rumble and Lazerbeak were stored in their compartments? What a weird feeling it was to have a live thing inside you like that. He hoped he didn't have to put up with it for very long. He had a target lock on Megatron this time, and he wasn't too far off. At least, that's what his sensors were telling him. Gathering some momentum, he made a dash through the torrents of water, and followed the signal. A fear nagging him that he needed to hurry. He need to get his master out of harm's way, and maybe hopefully, his Mi-ka-la too.

* * *

Maggie had given up trying to persuade the stubborn agent from carting off her beloved to god knows where. With Reggie Simmons, it was a battle of wits and stamina to get him to believe he was wrong, and even more of an up-hill struggle to get him admit it. The guy was a tough nut to crack, and she really wasn't in the mood for power struggles. So while everyone was busy with trying to get communications back up, even with short-wave radio, she snuck out into the storm in a heavy coat left by a solider to follow through on a plan she concocted an hour ago. With everything in so up in the air, this would be the time to help Megatron escape, and hopefully, find a place where he can hide out. Oh she knew the penalty of helping someone like him go free, but she couldn't stand the thought of him being frozen alive again, or experimented on for the sick kicks of Sector Seven. The thought of Megatron in ice, made her realize that she had indeed met him before. How strange that she thought nothing of him being trapped in there, helpless and probably conscious. Yet at that time, she hoped the ice wouldn't melt. How things have twisted. But then again, if she did meet him as a robot, she would have been a bloody human pancake on the floor. A good thing she met him later, and not earlier. A good thing he didn't get the Allspark, and a good thing he was given a chance to change of the better, or at least try to. Everything fell into it's place so neatly.

" The Allspark sure planned things out." she mused. But then she wondered, if she herself was even part of that plan. With everything happening now, and Megatron being taken away from her either by the government or other circumstances, it seemed fate wasn't on their side to be together. If she wasn't in the plans then...where would that leave them?

Not wanting to dwell on that thought, she rubbed her hands from the cold, and stopped under a low roof of another hanger, and listened to the deafening noise the water around her. Everything was so quiet, and so still. Something felt off about the weather, as if...something was looming just beyond the distance. Something big, and large. Her mind was having a hard time focusing on her task with the thought that something was going to happen. Call it a premonition, sixth sense, woman's intuition...a feeling of dread hung in the air. She hadn't been totally honest about trying to find the kids. She knew they were somewhere in the base, but the problem was...where? Her anwser however, would be quickly answered as she noticed three hunched figures approaching her. Two tall, and one short. She stopped, thinking they were soldiers, and that they'd tell her to go back. But as she squinted, her blue grey eyes caught sight of a very familiar young face.

" Mikaela?" she shouted

" Maggie!" smiled the young girl as they greeted each other. " Wow, you are the last person I'd thought I see. Where's Optimus?"

" Hanger 17, but he and the other Autobots are being moved to a larger hanger for the time being. Hopefully with more light." she explained

" We need to tell him that Starscream and Thundercracker are coming here, and they're going to attack."

" I already knew that. They were responsible for the blackout."

" And now they're keeping us in suspense. Probably trying to get us to break and give up Megatron," said Will

" That isn't all though, there's something wrong with Sam. The Allspark did something weird to him. Like some kind of growing tattoo. It's freaky." said Leo

Growing tattoo? Well now she's heard everything. " You better get to Optimus then." she said, turning back to lead the way for them, only to stop " Wait, where is Megatron right now?"

" We left him at the medical wing, he's there with Sam." said Mikaela, a slight smile on her face. She knew Maggie would mention something about him.

'_Ah thank god for small miracles.' _cheered Maggie " I have news to deliver myself. The whole thing fell through to keep Megatron with me. Simmons is going to try to take him to Sector Seven, and you know their reputable hospitality."

" What? Why? He hasn't done anything." asked Will " At least not yet."

" Try telling Simmons that." she said gruffly " He's blaming him for everything, including the attack. Wouldn't even doubt the weather next."

" Folks, time is of the essence. Looks like we're both going where we came from." reminded Leo

" He's right, I need to get to him. You can catch Optimus if you hurry, and if not, he'll be in hanger 23. Ask anyone out here if you can, they're looking for you guys."

" Alright. Good luck." said Will

" Thank you." she smiled. And made her way to the medical wing, her heart beating over the threat looming over them, and her chance to see Megatron once again. Hopefully awake this time. I guess fate wasn't too unkind at this time.

* * *

-ZZZ!-

Frenzy felt a slight shock to his system, and he wasn't sure of the little femme pulled anything she shouldn't have, or it was the moisture affecting him. He stopped under an awning, and recalculated the distance he had to travel to get to Megatron.

-ZZZ!-

There it was again! That shock! The signal that Megatron was sending spiked! Or rather, it went to the normal biorhythm he was used to when Megatron was Cybertronian. This sudden spike shocked him, only because since reuniting with his master, he had to put his signal strength higher to get any kind of energy signature emitting from him. So what was happening now? Was Megatron...turning back?

" _What's wrong big brother_?" asked the little red cellphone

Frenzy could barely contain his joy. If Megatron was changing back then...they'd be able to get out of this place faster! And he's get to see Megatron beat the slag out of Starscream for his insubordination! Though, this did mean that he wouldn't see his Mi-ka-la anymore but...well...easy come, easy go. Maybe if he asked his father, he could make her a pet back on the Nemesis. If The Fallen allowed an organic there. He was pretty sure he would. He seemed like an okay kind of mech.

" _Almost there. I'm almost there!" _he said to himself_  
_

_

* * *

_

20 minutes tops. He counted 5 now. He sighed and wondered if time had slowed down with the rain. Even if it didn't, it felt like it. Blackout had since gone to the back with Melissa to do a small diagnostics on him, since he didn't want Ratchet working on him. She only knew the basics, but Blackout seemed content with that. Of course he did...Blackout was still a Decepticon. It only made sense he'd wouldn't trust an Autobot. And even though he was working under a new leader, Mikaela all people, he was still a Decepticon through and through.

And how did it come that anyways? What kind of power did Mikaela have over these beings to make them so obedient to her? What happened while she was kidnapped? It was like she changed somehow, and now she has three Decepticons at her beck and call, like some kind of queen. _'Well...she is like a queen_.' smiled Sam. He always knew she was something special when he first met her. Not just in looks, or even her mechanical expertise, but in her heart. There were depths to her, that lingered in her eyes for a brief moment, then faded like sparks from a flame. So much that, if he dwelled too long on it, it was like getting sucked into some cosmic black hole. Maybe the Decepticons saw that too. They were sucked into those fathomless depths and revered her as one of their own.

But he wondered still, once Megatron regains control...**if **he regains control. Would they still listen to Mikaela like they do now. or would she become yet another 'fleshling' in their eyes? And speaking of eyes...Sam turned to the company he had in the lobby, a large figure with a blanket covering dark soaked clothes. The rust colored eyes of the former Decepticon leader were piercing into him, and it wasn't friendly.

" What are you staring at?" said Sam

He got a reply instantly. " The message changed. It's got more words."

" I don't really care." yawned Sam

" You would, if you knew what it said."

" Don't talk to me right now." said Sam, he put his hands on his palms. His body ached, " Just...don't talk to me. I feel miserable enough without my stomach trying to vacate my mouth."

" Your body is being used against your will, and you don't want to know what's happening to it?"

" No, I don't want to know! I'm at the point that I think it's best I don't know, because every time I find out, its a lot worse than I thought!"

" As you humans say, 'Welcome to my world'." said Megatron gruffly

" Your world sucks."

" Only because you made it so."

" Would you please just shut up! At least for 10 minutes?" said Sam, raising his voice.

" Why? Because what I said is true? By helping Optimus destroy the Allspark, you just condemned my race to a slow and painful extinction. How would you react if our situation were reversed?"

" You were going to do that anyways! After you got what you wanted, you were going enslave us and/or exterminate us!"

" Only because your race held me as a prisoner for Primus knows how long!" he shouted

" Oh and that gives you every right to do what you did back there. Is that how you see it? We got in your way, and then your little toy broke and now it's 'Kill all humans' time?" Sam retorted

It wasn't even a second before he found himself being lifted, off the ground, by his throat. He kicked and struggled as he could feel Megatron's fingers close around air passage in a deadly grip. He knew this wasn't the usual temper he dealt with before...no, this time, Ol' Megs was very pissed.

" That was not a toy! That was our **deity**! Our **God**!" he spat. Adding emphasis with a jerk to every ending word. " To even think...to even insinuate that it's value wasn't more precious than this entire planet's pathetic existence is... The Allspark was what kept our world alive and without it, it's nothing but a rock! A dying piece of molten metal that will never see life again! Because you my home world is dead!"

He let Sam drop to the ground, but didn't even have time to gasp for air, as he felt himself being pushed on the ground. The same strength that lifted him, was now holding him down like a weight. The two reddish eyes above him, seemed to be glowing their former fierce fire, and it was then the fear he felt when he made that run with the Allspark across the city, crept up his spine again. Human or not, this man...this...being...could very well kill him at this moment.

" You're a hero in your world's eyes, boy. But among my kind, you are it's destroyer. Perhaps the Allspark marks you as a curse on it's behalf, and my presence here is to sweeten it's revenge."

Sam struggled under his hand " I can't breath."

" Weakling, I'm not even holding your throat hard enough to..."

" No...I can't breath." panted Sam. Megatron released the boy, as he watched him hold his throat and cough several times.

" Get...the...the nurse." he gasped. But nothing happened.

" Give me one good reason why I should?" smirked Megatron.

Sam's eyes widened at the prospect that Megatron would even think to...no...he would do that. He would let him die. That shouldn't even come as a surprise. Before Sam could try to get off the ground, at least crawl down the hallway to escape. the roof above them was torn open like a piece of Styrofoam. Not by the wind or rain, but by the sheer force of something very evil looming beyond it. Megatron was equally surprised, and almost fell back to look at the form of his former Aerospace commander, his second in command...

" Well, looks like we meet again." smirked Starscream.

**Author's Notes:**

Dun dun dun! Man, oh man! Screamer just found the jackpot! His former master AND the boy he was trying to find and kill! Can it get any worse from here? What will happen now? Well, you're going to have to find out next chapter! Actually the reason why I didn't post any new stuff was because my old laptop just kicked the bucket, and they took their sweet time repairing it. I finally got her back *hugs her laptop*. Blah! Enough excuses! I owe a great deal of thanks for Nyte for staying with me during this time. She wrote...god...she wrote almost this entire chapter! No kidding! I'm sure there's a different feel to this than other chapters, amirite? Unless she's gotten so good, that you guys can't tell. I hope that's not the case. That would mean...gasp! I will be replaced! D: No I'm kidding. That will never happen. *jinxed herself*

Well, it seems Mikaela's Con' family just keeps growing. First her 'uncle' Megatron, and now protector Blackout. Or would he be more of a servant? Nah, he's not the type, he's like a body guard to her. And then Frenzy would be..uh..her little brother? I don't know. The kind of relationship that Frenzy and Mikaela are in, is very hard to pin down. It's got a slight family oriented tinge, combined with a twisted Decepticon view of ownership, since he sees her as his pet. That's very much in his character as a 'Con, since seeing humans as equal to themselves is very unusual compared to how Autobots think. For Blackout to think of Mikaela as a leader, is quite an honor in their terms. As he explained before, humans are just collateral damage, and not worth much consideration within their battles. Of course, he probably has his own opinion of humans though. All the Decepticons in the story have their own view of humanity on varying levels. Some like Frenzy, who can't see them beyond pets or some like Blackout who show an amount of respect to the humans that earn it, or like Starscream who see them as vermin. Even Thundercracker has different views on humans, whom he sees as really scary/freaky beings. lol. The Autobots also get this treatment too though. Some Autobots don't care much for humans, some protect them with their lives...it all depends on the Bot from either side making aware their individual personalities. Because let's face it, just because they're on one side or the other, doesn't mean they take all the war propaganda to heart. It totally depends of their POV, so this makes the factions less Black&White, and more Black&Grey.

And then you got Megatron who went through the biggest changes in personality before, after and during this whole story. He changed from a strict but respected leader on his home world to a tyrant thanks to The Fallen, and then went through a change from that to a rather gruff, but tolerable human man. It's like he went back to being how he was on Cybertron, because of the lack of influence from The Fallen. So I suppose in that way, the Allspark had justification of turning him into a being too humble for The Fallen to notice. Though that is causing Megs to go through a bit of an identity crisis from so many changes. Which is what I wanted to explore more. It's not really a ' Oh god, what have I done?' but more of a ' Where do I go from here?'.Because I think he was very aware of the body count and destruction he brought on his home world. He was manipulated by a very evil being, even though secretly I'm sure he really wanted to one-up Optimus in terms of leadership anyways. So regardless, there would have been a division between Optimus and Megatron. The Fallen just went and took full advantage of that aspect and turned it up to eleven. The clash was already there...it just needed to be triggered. All this comes in full cycle with the mythology of the TF universe in terms of Primus and Unicron, again, two brothers who just didn't see optic to optic on how they wanted to run the universe. History is just repeating itself, and we just happened to get caught in the middle.

**Q /A and reviews time!:**

**Lecidre**- Haha! Thanks! Boy do I look forward to your reviews, they're through and sweet! As for the story, I try to keep the action and drama toned down a bit to make way for the funny, because this is a crackfic after all. XD Of course, I try not to make it too silly or it loses all it's credibility and ties to the movies. Frenzy and Decibel do make quite a little team don't they? Of course in this chapter, they have their disagreements, but they manage. And he and she will be like siblings somewhat, until they part ways that is. And thanks to Sam, Blackout got revived and repaired (a bit), I'm surprised he didn't pledge his allegiance to Sam instead. But Blackout will be Blackout. Just like he's teasing his former leader about his human problem. But he better be careful when Megs turns back, I'm sure he doesn't forgive and forget easily. And Megs does have plans for Sam's arm, very interesting plans. I won't spoil it but, Sam's role in the story is about get kicked started into first gear, and Megs is going to be his frequent partner in crime...but that doesn't mean he's going to like it.

**twilight-yuna17**- Aww of course he's protective, she's his 'niece' or at least...she seems like one. Either way I see some of him rubbing off on her.

**RzSpeeder**- Oh my! I didn't even think of that! He sort of is, repaired, but still glitched up in a few things. Poor Blacky, he'll get better. Oh and speaking of Jetfire, he will be appearing in this story later on. ;)

**DzeniiBee AlexK** - So would I! So would I!

**karenstern05**- Thank you so much for taking the time to read and review this story. I'm honored that this is one of your favorite TF fanfics. LOL The couch scene seems to be the most talked about in my reviews, so I don't blame you. It was a steamy little scene for them both, too bad nothing happened, but that will be remedied pretty soon. Ah! Another fan of Nyte I see! A lot of people come from that site to this story, and I thank her for the linkage. Since she's my co-writer, she thanks you too!

Indeed! Yay for Blackout's return! He's going to be a major character in the following chapters.

**Duvet - **Aw thank you! :D

**Mark**- I have a little something in regards to the character Mikaela Banes leaving the scene, but I won't spoil it yet. It won't be a break-up with Sam though, it's something much more serious.(She won't die either) As for Blackout, yes, he will be a kind of guardian, though, more of a body guard in terms of protection. He's still a Decepticon you know, and doesn't view her like the Autobots view humans. He sees her as someone who gained his respect, so he feels he owes her a debt of gratitude. It's his code of honor as a warrior that's the case here. If he did have Autobot POV, he'd be more indebted to Sam for resurrecting him.

Megs will be helping Optimus in some ways, but not directly. The battle with The Fallen is Prime's fight, and unlike the film, I wanted to remain more true to the novel in terms of how The Fallen planned everything from the beginning. The history between Megs and The Fallen go farther than is hinted in the storyline, so I might be getting into back history that the movie didn't touch on. I do have a big twist on The Fallen's relationship with Optimus and Megatron, and why he chose Megatron instead of Optimus for his conquest for the Earth's sun.

Ironhide kind of fits that doesn't he? Just not evil-like though. And while I could add a character like Quaritch, but then he's take too much time away from the story. So no. But I agree about the tech! Yes! I will be writing about some of the advanced tech that Sector Seven has at it's disposal, since it's not disbanded in this story. The rail gun was cool in the movie, but I'll be spicing that up with something else, something more alien.

**Jacqueline Faber**- A crush? Oh no! XD It's far from being a crush, especially in this chapter. So don't worry about any 'Loli' here. Frenzy is too much of a kid to fall in love with someone, and way too spazzy for his own good. Decibel is more of like...his temporary partner. As for Starscream and the Seekers, Screamer is mean towards all who he deems low standards...which is everyone. He treats TC like dirt, but only because TC has some backbone to say anything to his face, even when he gets beat up right after. Skywarp is at the Nemesis with The Fallen (which I haven't gotten to that part), but he will be showing up pretty soon. He's just as arrogant and cruel as his cousin Starscream. So they get along fine.

LOL Well, if I got shot in the aft, I'd defect Sam and his magical alien tramp stamp...yes, he will be getting more additions as the story progresses.

**Sotwt Icehail **- He does indeed!

**Meirelle**- *cheers with you!* I missed that grouchy old mech too.

**jeremy hollis**- Thank you! Yup, she's the only thing between them and a few broken somethings. XD Sam and Megs just can't get along, and who can blame them?

LOLLOLOL! That gave me such a funny mental image! " By the power of Cybertron...I. HAVE. THE POOWEERR!" Until he gets another add-on to his ever growing tattoo. Better watch how you use that thing Sam.

And thanks again! Blackout's defection to Mikaela was pretty sweet. That was such fun to write! I guess Megs needs to learn a few leadership skills from his 'niece'.

Awww, grandpa Jetfire does have a cute ring to it. XD I could see that happening.

**Psyconinja7**- No prob! I wanted him back just as much as you did. He's a great character!

**dinobots4ever** - I just might, but after I write this story. I guess it could even be a middle story before the sequel. (Yes, there is going to be a sequel to this story)

**2GrayBoys **- Aww I really would love for Megs to stay human for Maggie, it would do them such a world of good to be together. But..sadly he his old form is going to be needed for the battle coming up.


	29. Eye of the Storm

Nutritional Facts: Contains Giant metal turkeys and looooove

* * *

Author's Notes: A happy New Year folks! Hope your holidays were super special awesome! XD Now on the looooong anticipated update. Sorry sorry! Read and enjoy!

* * *

" Oh shit...oh shit...oh shit..." whimpered Sam, seeing that familiar monstrosity of metal before him. This was it. He was done for, his life was going to end right here and right now. And how he wished it wasn't with the present company he was keeping. If he had any last request on who the last person he'd see before he became a bloody smear, it would be Mikaela. Or at least his Mom..heck even Mojo would have been a better choice than Megatron. And speaking of the devil...just where was he exactly? Either Megatron became invisible or hightailed it out of there to leave him to his doom. Figures. However, Sam couldn't concentrate on that too long, because currently, he was also trying to catch his breath, which was becoming more and more raspy. He suddenly felt an strong hand pull him under a nearby desk, causing him to fall to the ground.

" Don't move. Any movement of any kind or he will kill you." an equally strong voice whispered.

" Oh funny, because just a few minutes ago, you were trying to do the same thing!"

" Shut it, before you get us both caught. You want to live right?"

" Not much of a choice there."

" Follow my lead, and keep silent. You're lucky I know Starscream's blind spots."

" Lead the way then, but if I get blown to pieces, I'll kill you."

" The illogical wording of that sentence astounds me, fleshling."

" Well you try keeping calm when you're this close to getting smushed by a giant metal turkey!" he hissed

And as if on cue, the Giant Metal Turkey, aka Starscream, knocked over the desk with the two men under it, it rolled over, and allowed full view of the occupants inside. Starscream made a mad grab for Sam, but was knocked over by a much larger metal object, one named Blackout. Where that mech was originally would remain a mystery to the two men, but they definitely glad he showed up when he did.

" And where were you?" asked Sam

" Take the girl and run!" shouted Blackout, pushing the nurse toward the men, and allowing the humans time to escape from what was left of the hospital wing.

Starscream lunged at him in rage. Confused that his comrade was actually helping the human who killed their leader. " What is the meaning of this? I am your Second in Command! Why do you attack me?"

" You lost that title when you turned you back on Megatron. Yeah, I found out about your little plan to overthrow him."

" And no doubt by Soundwave's little whelp. You trust his word over mine?"

" I'd trust an Autobot's word over yours, Starscream."

" Traitor!" started Starscream, but was knocked over a second time due to the amount of bulk the black mech had. But he still wasn't a match to the weaponry the Seeker possessed. Not to mention that Starscream had a specific advantage over him, namely agility. He had to keep this fight on the ground, least they start a dog fight that he wasn't sure he could win at the moment, at least not in his injured state.

" Traitor? I hope you're talking about yourself you piece of slag!" Shouted Blackout, punching Starscream in the face, sending the jet to the ground. " And you don't know how long I've wanted to do that!"

* * *

The screech of metal and alien voices were more than enough to get the attention of the Autobot leader. From afar, he could tell there were three figures, all Decepticons, and all of them were fighting each other. He was also surprised that Blackout was there, as he was informed the mech had died by Sector Seven's hand. Either they didn't do a very good job, or something else was up. Either way, they were doing some considerable damage to the base, and endangering the humans within it. Optimus would not stand for either.

" Is that Blackout?" said Bumblebee "I thought he was dead. How did he come back to life?"

" I don't care how he came back, all three of them are going down." growled Ironhide

" Why is Blackout attacking Starscream? That doesn't seem right." said Bumblebee, his attention being drawn to a familiar human solider.

" You guys!" shouted Lennox, running at top speed to the hanger where the four Autobots were coming out of.

" Captain." said Optimus, acknowledging the man. " Do you know what's going on?"

" You gotta get over there, Blackout needs your backup." said Lennox, trying to catch his breath

" What do you mean? Why?" asked Ratchet. From what he could tell, this looked like in-fighting in the faction. And if the mechs killed each other in the process, it was a win-win for everyone.

" He's on our side now." smiled Mikaela " Well, on my side, but that's a long story. Hurry though, Sam and Megatron are over there!"

" Optimus, I'll get Sam and Megatron." said Bumblebee

" Good. Ratchet, call attention to Thundercracker while I ambush Starscream. Ironhide, you're with me."

" I'm ready." smiled the black mech, his guns already blazing.

On Optimus' signal, the Autobots leapt into action, Optimus taking care to avoid aiming for Blackout, as strange as the notion was. If Blackout had indeed become an ally to them, he would be more than happy to let him join their faction. They needed all the help they could get. Though as optimistic as he wanted to be, he knew it wouldn't be as easy as that.

* * *

He knew it. Reggie Simmons had already knew, and planned, and plotted that this would happen from the very beginning. Sure a few things were off in it, and it needed some adjustments. But he was prepared for this, as well as having a secondary plan that would enable him custody of NBE-1 again. Not because of the reasons he stated before to the Autobots, but also out of pride. NBE-1 was an heirloom, a relic in his family that they treasured above all else. It was what made them who they were. Even if that relic suddenly gained a human form, it still belonged to the Simmons family line. To lose it, would be to lose a part of that history he had grown up with since birth. And it also meant losing his well earned status in the agency. With the Allspark gone, he only had one piece of that legacy left. He had to get it back, no matter the cost.

He had two teams dispatched already, prepared to bring down the three enemy NBEs and hopefully capture them in one piece. Their death was of little concern to him, it was only the technology he wanted. Nothing more. Just like it always had been. Now it was different, his superiors warned to not use such harsh methods of capture and avoid death, but sometimes it was unavoidable. How he missed the old days when capturing aliens wouldn't also earn him a reprimand simply because they're not just machines, but living beings. He turned to one of his agents as he approached him.

" Sir, the teams are in place. The 'special' nets you ordered are on the outskirts ready to be deployed."

" That's what I like to hear. We will wait until the Autobots come around, and do the hard work. Knowing them, they'll try to lead the Decepticons to a safer place outside the base. That's when we'll deploy the nets, and capture the enemy NBEs. Alive, if we need to, but if things get bad, don't hesitate to shock the crap out of them. We'll write a report that it was a life threatening situation."

" Yes, sir. Also, I wanted to know about the second capture."

Ah yes, the second capture. The reclaiming of the heirloom, who now went by a more Earthly name of Matthew Banes. Simmons did admit, while NBE-1 caused numerous amounts of trouble for Vern Base for calling in re-enforcements to save him from the' terrible humans' holding him hostage, the chaos it caused was also a perfect cover to finish what he intended in the first place. To take Megatron to a similar holding pen like Hoover Dam, but in another area in the country, and a lot more secretive. There he would imprison him like he meant to. Human or not. Though in a more smaller form, it did make containing him considerably easier. It was just too bad that the leader would make sharing the knowledge of Cybertronian technology difficult. There was so much the government could use from their culture. It just needed to be tapped. If only he had some sort of leverage to weaken the big bad, Decepticon leader. Torture wouldn't work, he knew that...but there had to be something.

" As for the second capture, I want it to be smooth and swift. Make sure you capture "Mr. Banes alive, he must not come to harm by any means! I don't care what that Autobot tin solider says, this is about national security, and we can't afford to have this same incident happen again."

" Just say the word, and we'll get him."

" Time it while the Autobots are distracted. Namely after they capture the alien jets. By the time they figure out what happened, we'll be half way to Washington."

" Will do." and the agent left to meet with a small group already gathering to put the plan into action.

However, as planned as it was, Simmons didn't expect it to go down easy. There were a few obstacles he needed to consider...one of them named Margaret Madson. He wasn't sure what kind of relations she had with Megatron, but anything more than an acquaintance, had him shaking his head in disgust. But her strange protectiveness over him was more than enough to seriously make him wonder if that Aussie chick thought of Megatron as something more than a friend. He was sure she knew who he was. She was there, she saw Megatron himself in that giant popsicle. How could anyone have feelings for such a monstrous creature?

Well...then again, if she did in fact _fall_ for NBE-1, it was probably over his human form, not his previous one. So in that way, it made some sense. But still..

_" I think Keller would love to hear what she has to say about her...tastes in men."_

_

* * *

_

Sam, Megatron and Marissa were huddled behind a few large transport trucks, but knew they needed to keep moving. The sounds of the mechanical beings were still audible, and they knew they needed to put as much distance between them and the Decepticons as they could. But with Sam's current state, they could only go slowly. He had caught his breath, but now he was complaining of numbness in his arm. The same arm that the Allspark had infected. Marissa stated she'd look over it, once they were out of the line of fire. Megatron simply took note of this.

" Anyone mind explaining what that thing was?" asked Marissa. Trying to calm herself, and put together the events taking place. Everything happened so quickly. The last thing she was doing, before two alien jets decided to give her medical wing a sky light, was welding a patch over Blackout's armor. Then the roof suddenly being stripped off, and Blackout raising to his feet, pushing her to the two men to escape as he took on both jets. She wanted to thank him for saving her life, but wasn't even sure he was alive to be thanked.

" That would be my Second in Command and his...uggh." Megatron crouched down, as a pain tore across his chest, and then up his shoulder blade. A terrible thought hit him. Was the reversion starting up again? Primus no! Not now! Not when he wasn't himself so to speak. If Starscream found him like this, he could kiss his life on this planet goodbye.

" Are you alright?" asked Marissa

" Fine! I'm fine! it's my shoulder. The stitches probably ripped." he growled " I'll just get Ratchet to take care of it."

Being a nurse, she quickly looked over him and noticed blood staining through his shirt. A bulge appeared to be moving along the back blade, and seemed to look like it was pushing. No doubt it was the metal rod she saw Ratchet extracting from him. Sadly, it looked like it was growing back. Marissa had never seen anything like it in her profession. He hissed in pain, and she wasn't sure what she could do for him, but she could at least stop the bleeding.

" Sam, check in the glove boxes of the trucks, sometimes they have medical supplies in there." she said, before placing her attention on Megatron. " Can you sit down for a bit?" And he did so.

Sam rummaged through the glove boxes, halfway wondering why was helping him, but knowing that even if they weren't on the best of terms, Megatron did save his ass from Starscream just a while back. I guess he could call it a returned favor. He hit the jackpot in the 2nd truck, a steel box filled with various medical supplies inside. He brought it to Marissa, as she donned a pair of disposable gloves and set to work. Sam cringed as she gently peeled the blood soaked shirt from Megatron's back. She had to cut it slightly, to get the entire thing off and work on the infected area. It looked worse than she thought, and she wished Ratchet was here to help extract the growing metal. But for now, stopping Megatron from bleeding to death was top priority.

" Sam, I need your help for a bit, can you wash your hands with the wipes and help me? I'll take care of the cleaning, you can hand me new bandages."

Sam almost gagged. The sight of blood didn't really agree with him, but, as he was just about to take out a roll of gauze, a shadow appeared on the furthest end of the building, followed by the clicking on heels, Sam smiled, he knew those heel clicks anywhere. It was Maggie. And boy was he glad to see her. He was also sure someone else would be even more happier though.

" Hey! We're over here!" Called Sam. She quickly made her way to them, Marissa looked up and smiled, glad to know someone found them, even if she didn't know the woman. She could use all the help she could get. A gasp came from Maggie, as her eyes were set on a hunched figure on the ground. Shirt torn, stained with blood and a large gash on his shoulder blade. She knew exactly who that was.

" Megatron..."

He turned around, tiredly. He really didn't want her to see him like this, but at the same time, he couldn't feel anymore glad to see her again. Rising up, despite Marissa demandng to sit back down, he made his way to him, as she did. Their eyes locked for a minute, as they stood facing each other. All the things that happened that night, the fight, the missed opportunities...vanished, as they both embraced. Marissa and Sam couldn't help but smile at the two lovers reunited.

* * *

Ironhide knew, from past skirmishes with Starscream, just how long and frustrating a battle with Seekers could be. The aerial types of their species, especially jets, always seemed to have an upper hand. In war, it was even more apparent. They could soar into the sky, and rain down their attacks, sending most scrambling for shelter. But one thing they lacked, was weight. Seekers were naturally light weight, made for the sky, much like the flying creatures of Earth. Brute force wasn't their strong suit, neither was heavy weaponry, and that's where Ironhide shined. With Optimus' plan to lead the Decepticons away from the base, he could let lose more damage on the Seekers. Something he relished in. Especially against Starscream. He had a personal gear to pick with him.

With Ratchet to back him up, he braced himself against the Seekers attacks. He let out a few blasts before crouching down in the desert's riverbeds. Not much cover, but better than nothing. He had to find a way to get those blasted fliers down to the ground. He then saw a black blur whirl past him, it was Blackout, doing a jump and transforming into his alt mode, while firing at Starscream, hitting the jet on the left wing. He came crashing down, as Blackout lunged at the fallen Seeker, struggling to get airborne.

" Get off me, you giant pile of scrap!" screeched Starscream " I knew you were working for the Autobots! Soundwave will hear of your treachery!"

" Just as much a he'd like to hear about yours, aft-head."

" Well what do you know...the girl was right. He **is** on our side." smiled Ratchet

" I wouldn't count our blessings just yet. He's still a Con." said Ironhide

" Get over here and get him you Autoscum! That was my last missile!" roared Blackout. He didn't have to tell Ironhide twice, he made a dive toward him, ready to give him what-for. Unfortunately, Starscream still managed to slip away, thanks to Thundercracker firing a winning shot to Blackout's head, sending the poor mech head over heels on top of Ironhide. Starscream made his escape. But Thundercracker wasn't so lucky, as a blast blue, belonging to none other than Optimus Prime, was introduced to his face. Knocked over, but still conscious, he tried to make a break for it.

As if on cue, the human allies arrived, well, as much as allies they could be. It was the Sector Seven agents in large vehicles, carried what appeared to be a large metal cannon. Ratchet wondered what they were up to, when suddenly the cannon fired, aimed right at the younger Seeker, Thundercracker. A net of metal flew out with hook-like things latching into him the more he struggled. An agent waved a signal and a loud hum was heard, as the net became a cage of electricity. Metal and circuitry sizzled, as Thundercracker screamed both in agony and for Starscream. Where did his cousin go? Why wasn't he helping him?

" Cousin! Cousin help me!" screamed his younger family member in their native tongue.

Starscream however, was already airborne, caught between connection to family, and his own survival. Though he was a team player most times, he still looked out for number one. His left wing was badly damaged, but he still managed to get to his element. He watched helplessly as his cousin writhed in pain under that net, while the human's closed it up and tightened it by driving around his body. Soon his wings rendered useless, and nothing but his optics moved. Things didn't look very good for Thundercracker. Starscream's eyes burned a fierce blood red, but knew if he got too close, he'd be slag as well. There was little Starscream could do to help him anyways. Though, it a sense, he knew it would end like this. And besides, since coming to earth, Thundercracker continually second guessed his authority. He brought this on himself. He was expendable. Starscream's decision now stood. He would retreat. Yes, he would be alone in his mission for now, but sacrifices had to be made. He would simply have to wait til his other brothers of the sky came to his aid. They were already in this solar system, it was only a matter of time.

" You feathered your nest, little cousin. Now tend to it." he said harshly. Thundercracker watched as his older family member took to the sky, something he could not do anymore. He screamed for one last time, before a single blast for Ironhide silenced him for good.

* * *

" He wants to what?" shouted Megatron, sitting up suddenly, and causing him to cringe as the bandage pulled on his previous wound. Maggie immediately regretted telling him about Simmons' plans for him.

" I told you not to move, you idiot! You'll open up our wounds again!" scolded Marissa

" Do not order me around, woman!" he roared

" Megatron. Please listen to her, she's a doctor." said Maggie

" So is Ratchet, but you don't see me taking lip from him!"

" Even so, we need to find a way off base. We can't stay here, Simmons is looking for you."

" Tell me where he is, and he won't be for very long." grinned Megatron.

" He has people working for him, and they can capture you. Especially in your condition. I wish I could get a hold of Optimus or someone and tell him what he's planning."

" I won't hold much hope for the Autobots, they're probably on his side."

" Actually it was Ironhide that defended you in that conversation. He brought up some really valid points that almost shut up Simmons." said Maggie

" Ironhide? Thee Ironhide?" asked Sam. Well now he's heard everything.

" I assume that was an enlightened moment for that trigger happy buffoon."

" Hey, give him some respect, I can tell it's not something he'd usually do. But with the circumstances involved..." said Maggie

" Shh! Listen...do you hear that?" said Sam. The entire group stayed silent for a minute or two. No sound was heard, save for a few leftover raindrops hitting the metal gutters outside.

" Hear what?" asked Marissa

" There's no sound out there. It's quiet." said Sam

" That could either be a good thing or a bad thing." said Maggie, getting up and walking towards the front of the building. " Hold on, I'll go check."

" I'm coming with you." said Megatron, only to be tugged back down by Marissa.

" Not so fast lover boy, you're hurt, now relax." she said, Megatron groaned.

" I don't hear any thing out here. I wonder if the fighting stopped." she said, peeking carefully out the door. " And more importantly, I wonder who won."

Suddenly a black truck rushed by and Maggie ducked into the doorway. She was glad they didn't see her, but she knew who they were looking for.

" What was that? Are they here to help?" asked Marissa.

" Far from it. That was Sector Seven. We're not safe here, they're going to comb through the entire base until they find him, I'm sure of it."

Surprisingly, Marissa felt an odd vibration in her lab coat pocket, and found it was her cellphone. She saw it was a text message from her sister. " Calls are going through now?"

" It was Starscream generating an EMP blast when he attacked, blocking all communication signals. Which means, if it's gone, so is he." explained Megatron " I guess that call to the Autobots can be done now."

" Anyone got their number?" asked Sam

" Didn't Bumblebee give you his? He is your guardian after all." asked Maggie

" I had him on speed dial." he said sheepishly. Maggie glared at him. " What? Who bothers to remember numbers when the phone does it for you? And besides...my phone really isn't a phone anymore."

" Well you're in luck, I happen to know Ratchet's." said Marissa, dialing it up, and hoping he answers. And he did.

" Marissa?" he answered

" Ratchet! Where are you? What happened?"

" I'm on the outskirts of the base. Are you unharmed?"

" Yeah, I am...but I'm not too sure about your precious patient. Think you can pick us?"

" Where is your location?"

" It's...uh..."

" Hanger 10." said Sam

" Hanger 10, it's a storage hold for transport."

" I'm needed by Optimus, but I'm sending you Bumblebee. He'll follow your signal, so stay put."

" Did...did you guys get those Decepticons?" she asked quickly.

" One escaped, but the other one has been apprehended. It is safe for you now."

" Thank God, and thank you. Okay, we'll be waiting." she smiled, glad that something was going right. She hung up and informed the others. " Ratchet isn't coming, but Bumblebee is."

" Great" exclaimed Sam, glad to know his guardian was on the way.

" Plus, he'll be a safe ride to Optimus while we tell him what Simmons has planned." noted Maggie

...

...

..

" Lord Megatron?"

All eyes looked toward the front of the building, namely the eyes of the one who had been called. Megatron looked around, then finally down, where a tiny little blue-eyed mech stood. It was Soundwave's young son, Frenzy. For all that time, Megatron wondered just where that little one had gotten to. He certainly didn't help get communications up...unless the sudden cellphone connection was his doing.

" Frenzy...where the slag have you been?"

" Got lost...no t-thanks t-to little femme." he growled, as Sam's former cellphone peeked out of a holding chamber in his body candidly.

" What is that?" asked Marissa. She had never seen Frenzy before, nor the tiner little bot inside him. " A friend of yours?"

" That would be Frenzy." said Sam " And I wouldn't call him a _friend_ exactly. More like a freak."

Frenzy growled at the Witwicky boy, while at the same time, Maggie nearly jumped out of her skin when she saw Frenzy. She immediately took off a high heel and aimed right at his head.

" Get back you little demon! I thought you were dead!" she shrieked

Frenzy hid behind his leader, totally unprepared for an attack. His blades flicked out in defense and shock. " Ah! Ah! Ah! Don't hurt!"

" Maggie, it's alright, he's one of mine. He's completely harmless." comforted Megatron. Unaware that she and Frenzy had met prior to today's events.

" Harmless, my ass! He cornered me in a communications room, throwing flying disks of death at me!" she screamed, refusing to take her eyes off the creature.

" When was this?" shouted Megatron looking at Frenzy angrily. When had the little mech tried to kill the one he loved?

" Was during Alls-spark hunt! Not t-to blame! F-follow orders!" Still cowering behind him, while hissing at the crazy woman.

" Well, he won't hurt you now." Megatron said, then turned to Frenzy. " Right?"

Frenzy nodded his little head furiously. Maggie still wasn't convinced. " You keep away from me you little freak!"

" How did you get here? Where are the others?" asked Megatron.

" D-don't know...no...with Autobots, yes! T-they with Autobots, h-hiding. Come! H-hurr-y!"

" ...We can't. I can't leave here until..." Megatron tried to explain. When a honk outside startled the group. Maggie peeked out of the building cautiously, and was greeted by a very familiar yellow Camaro.

" That's our ride." she smiled.

Sam rushed out to greet his robot buddy. " Bee! You don't know how happy I am to see you!" exclaimed Sam. Bee honked happily, before laying eyes on Frenzy. He stepped back and transformed, his guns aiming for the the little mech. It seemed everyone was out to get the little mech. Frenzy raised his blades in reply, ready to attack.

" You! I thought you were dead!" said Bumblebee

" That what I said." mumbled Maggie.

" Autobot..." hissed Frenzy.

" Enough!" yelled Megatron, coming between the two. Now wasn't the time for a fight, there were important things to do. " Frenzy, put our differences behind us at this time! We need his help."

" No!" yelled the little mech and stubbornly refused to move from the building.

" Then you're free to stay here." said Megatron, and climbed inside Bumblebee, followed by Maggie, with Sam in the driver's seat and Marissa in the front.

" That's fine with me." said Sam, at the same time, Decibel hopped out of Frenzy, took a small look at him, then jumped into Bumblebee with everyone else.

Frenzy couldn't believe it. They were going to leave him! Even the tiny femme! After her safely harbored her from the elements. What an ungrateful little glitch! Bumblebee started up and rolling out, leaving him behind in the dust. It didn't take more than a second before he ran after the yellow mech in a panic. He didn't want to stay in the base by himself, alone in a nest full of stupid insects.

" No! W-wait! Not lea-ve! M-my Lord!"

" Should we stop for him?" asked Bumblebee, not really wanting that little hacker inside him.

Megatron sighed. " Yes, he's a youngling still...he doesn't really know better." Bumblebee stopped to allowed Frenzy inside, on the condition he remain seated on Megatron's lap, and wouldn't touch anything. It was agreed and he opened the door. Maggie cringed as the little bot climbed over here toward Megatron's lap. How he could trust that...thing..so close to him, was beyond her.

" Now behave! If you cause any sort of trouble for me, I will not hesitant to inflect severe punishment upon you. Is that clear?" said Megatron

" ...Yes, sir." replied Frenzy, surprisingly obedient, and sat down on his lap. Bumblebee continued on his way to where the other Autobots were. The drive wouldn't be long and Sam immediately began to tell Bumblebee about Simmon's plans and that his arm was starting to act funny again. Among the commotion, Marissa peeked at the back seat, seeing the unfamiliar robot acting so well behaved while sitting on Megatron's lap. much like a stubborn child that just got scolded. She couldn't help but innerwardly chuckle. What a sight.

" You'd make quite a father." mused Marissa from the front seat. Maggie and Megatron looked at each other for a moment, before she blushed and turned away. Frenzy let out a small electric sound in annoyance.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

I wrote this entire entry while listening to " What If This Storm Ends" by Snow Patrol. I thought it fit rather well, since things are continually getting heavier. My intention however isn't to make this a angst-fest, but hey, it can't all be bubbly and bright all the time. The second movie is particularly dark ya know. I admit, there is considerable less humor in this update though. It got kind of sad, mostly in two ways, all the bad plans going on behind the scenes, all the secrets, and then Thundercracker getting blasted, I won't release what happened just yet, but he's not dead, but he's going to wish he was in later chapters. Second sad thing is that it's so freakin short! I wanted to write a good long chapter, but I couldn't put anything into it, because it's needed in the next one, which is also going to be like this one too. So prepare for some more drama, because even though the fight of the Seekers are over, doesn't mean there's still not enemies to deal with. Simmons is...well he's a huge prick here. But keep in mind this is pre-2nd movie Simmons we're dealing with. His ego hasn't been stepped on yet, but it will soon, very soon. For now, he is a jerk-ass and aiming to put an end to the relationship between Maggie and Megatron. He threatened Kayla with her Dad's parole, so he's not above this kind of thing.

And then Maggie and Megatron! The only thing that's happy is that they're reunited finally! :D I know there's not too much lovey-dovey, but with everything going on, it's just not time...yet. But it will get there, and I'm saving the best for later. Don't worry, you'll get your smut soon, and for those who don't want to read it, can skip it over. :D

* * *

**Q&A:**

**jeremy hollis-** Glad you got some laughs, there wasn't too much Frenzy in this one, but that will be remedied next update. Simmons complains about anything he doesn't like, not sure who's worse, him or Galloway. Glad he won't appearing in this story, but will be appearing in the sequel. LOL Starscream always seems to like to make a good entrance. And you're right about the D-cons and Bots having distinct POVs and personalities. Not all of them fit the norm of their faction. But again, I took a cue from the movies comics about how some were not entirely sure they could follow Megatron, nor the Autobots thinking Optimus would be a very good leader, since he had little to no experience in the battlefield before the great war for the Allspark. I mean, even Ironhide had to be persuaded to join the Bots. Just imagine...he could have been a D-con! And the device Simmons used is exactly like the movie. An alien energy detector, probably reversed engineered from Megs frozen body.

**dinobots4ever- **Yes indeed! But not until a good long while though. I'll need a break from this story. ^_^;;;

**ECHONAUT-** *Blush* Thank you so much for your comment! It just made me smile like...ear to ear. Seriously. I'm glad you enjoyed the story so much. And you read it on a cellphone screen? Girl you got some serious patience and determination. That's just amazing! XD LOL And for it to be in your favorites instantly too. Thanks isn't enough. But still thank you! It's fans like you that make this little writer continue writing! Hope this next entry was up to par.

**Fukushima-** If you saw my face while reading your comment, you'd have seen a big giant tomato. Thank you so much! I'm so glad you enjoyed the story so far, and I'm glad to hear you think Maggie and Megatron's relationship was realistic, somewhat at least. XD I try, but I do slip too. Haha and I feel you about fanfics doing a crackship mainly for the sex. I have run into those soooo many times, you'd think they were going out of style. No, the sex in this story is not a major plot point, it's even skippable for goodness sakes. So no cringe worthy smut for the fan unless they want to read it. As for Decibel's role, she doesn't have an overly big one, she's a supporting character and has her uses. Just not now.

**Meirelle-** Err..what moment is that? XD What..Starscream finally making his debut?

**Mark- **Oh Jetfire is definitely showing up, and he's been alluded to often so far. He's got a big role with a certain character, and it's with one you would have least suspected.

**TKizdabombyo-** I'm glad you enjoyed it! :D And yes, I dragged it out more because real relationships take time to build. Especially with a couple them. XD

**onyourmark**- This is on TV Tropes? Holy ramen noodles on a iceberg! Link me to it man! I want to see what they're saying too! 0_0 I hope it's good news, but I have a feeling it might be poking fun at me.


	30. Fallen

In the industrial district of the city of Tranquility...

" There were Autobots in that base!" roared Starscream, kicking a broken forklift and sending it flying in the metal wall of the foundry making a terrible racket as it made contact and slammed into the ground. Not that he cared, he had already taken care of the humans in the area by a few well placed pipes of carbon monoxide. They never even saw that coming. Keeping him company was Barricade, who was found by the Seeker in a terrible rage over being ditched by Frenzy and one of the Autobots' human pets. Having recently been made Starscream's Second in Command however, helped to quell the Police car's anger...somewhat. His snarking attitude was still apparent though.

" Aww, your little take over plan isn't working?" said Barricade

" It would have if my sniveling coward of a cousin hadn't ruined it from the start!"

" What happened to him anyways?"

" I don't give a frag!" shouted the Seeker, slamming the already damaged forklift with his fist.

Barricade leaned back on the makeshift base smugly. " If I may make a suggestion?"

" I suggest you don't. I have a back up plan already made and it will come into play just as soon as night falls."

" So, in the meantime, what do you plan to do with that guy?" asked Barricade, pointing to extremely tiny Decepticon in the corner looking expectant.

" Why didn't you tell me we had company!" hissed Starscream

" You never asked, oh mighty leader." smirked Barricade

" Come for Megatron! Megatron sent me. Asked. I come. Where is he?" said the tiny little bot in a thick accent that even Barricade couldn't really understand. Despite having to deal with Frenzy and his manic stuttering.

Starscream looked at the new Deception sitting comfortably on top of an oil drum. He was small...very small. Smaller than Frenzy, but looked equally as skittish and crazy. He had small blade-like legs, comically large eyes and long thin antenna, giving him the look of a Earth-like insect.

" He came here just last night. Apparently...from what I understand, is Megatron asked for his assistance along with Shockwave, but Shockwave was needed back on Cybertron and went back. This little guy came here on his own, but when he couldn't trace Megatron's signal he sought out the nearest Deception which was me."

" And who are you?"

" I am doctor! Scalpel!"

" He's one of our medics. You may not remember him, but we picked up around the higher sector of Hyenova. He's unorthodox, but his methods have earned him the reputable name of ' The Disassembler."

" Hyenova is a slum." replied Starscream in mild contempt.

" Used to be, it got better before the war." shrugged Barricade

" Where is Megatron?" asked the tiny bot.

" Megatron is not...!" the Seeker stopped himself. If he played his cards right, and he had better since he was losing face very quickly in front of his troops. He could play on the mini bot's loyalty and find his leader without being seen. Plus, if things went wrong, at least he wouldn't get his aft kicked again. The Seeker smiled down at Scalpel.

" Megatron is not...here. He's been captured!" he said, making it sound dramatic and frightening.

Barricade was about to say something about that, but a glare kept him silent, for now. The Doctor eagerly looked up at Starscream to hear more about this tragedy.

" The humans played dirty, and managed to subdue him! They dragged him back into their nest where they plan to take him apart! We must save him!"

" Save him! Save Megatron! Kill human nest! Chop chop!"

" No need, we don't want to shake them up. This will be a covert mission for you. I want you to find him, his signal will be dulled, but I assure you...you will find him, and once you do, plant this on him." explained Starscream, holding a tiny, almost seed-sized chip between the tips of his claws. The Doctor took it and placed it safely into a compartment on his body.

" When you plant this on him, send me a message and I'll do the rest. Understand?"

" Yes yes!" hopped the little bot. " When we go?"

" When this planet's star sets, I'll take you as close as I'm able, and deposit you where his location is. Be aware however, there are Autobots there. I'm sure you know the consequences if they were to find you."

" Understand! Yes!"

" Good." smiled Starscream

* * *

Ratchet had seen many body horrors in his profession. It came with the territory, but he wasn't there to study or prod. He was there to simply mend and heal, then stand by as his patients blew holes in themselves yet again. It was heartbreaking at times to see this happen, but such was the price of war. Such was the way things were now, and as he surveyed the damage done to Thundercracker, he knew he had his work cut out for him. The Seeker was, to put it mildly, in very bad shape. Not just from the blunt trauma he received via Ironhide, but from wear and tear from being in space, from entering the Earth's atmosphere and no doubt, abuse from his fellow faction members. Seeker bodies were not made to handle extensive damage, at least not continual damage. Fortunately for the young mech, his spark was still pulsing, and his basic systems were operational. He was just knocked out for the time being. Ratchet set to work, first disabling the Seeker's wings, followed by his other four limbs. As a safety precaution for him and the patient. Next, the weapon systems, and external firewall to his CPU. He knew he couldn't get into the internal firewall, which would make things easier, but he could at least get a readout of the Seeker's mental health. Even if he was a Decepticon, which didn't fair well with a good outlook in life, a mech's mental health was crucial to proper recovery.

Disabling the Seeker's basic systems was easier than he thought, He was surprised how light the mech was, and realized why. The outer casing to his spark chamber was completely gone. That was both unusual and dangerous. Usually all Cybertronians had two spark casings. A missing or damaged casing was just inviting trouble. He figured, perhaps this Seeker did it to lessen his weight and increase his speed. But why? Seeker frames were already naturally light and their systems were delicate, a good blow to the chest could ground one in moments. And in his case, could offline him permanently.

" Are you ignorant young one, or just stupid?" He said out-loud. He wondered what his old mentor would say about this Seeker generation and their carelessness. What would old Jetfire say then? That remarkable mech who studied off-world life, and made frequent field trips with his flying brethren to distant planets and solar systems, while Ratchet could only stay behind and study. He longed for wings of his own to join him in their adventures. Yet despite those lofty dreams, Jetfire always returned with something for him, either a story, or a specimen, and he always encouraged Ratchet to continue his passion to help others. And he did so, and became what he is now. And he had Jetfire to thank for that...or he would have, if he knew where his old friend had gone.

" Jetfire..what became of you?" said Ratchet to himself, as the mech under his watch stirred. Deep red eyes flickered to life, and a body strained under the binds that held him down.

" Grandpa..?" groaned the Seeker.

" Hmm?"

Thundercracker craned his neck, and found no trace of the one who went by that name. Instead, he found himself in an enclosed area, with Ratchet hovering over him. He also found that his wings weren't moving as well as his limbs. Probably from the damage he sustained from earlier. None the less, he wasn't pleased to be alive and in such a vulnerable position. " You're not my grandpa, you're a stinking Autobot."

Ratchet sniffed. " You're welcome for saving your life would have sufficed, 'Con. And no, I'm not your grandpa, Primus forbid."

" Then why did you say his name?"

Ratchet froze. Could it be this Seeker was a some kind of relative of Jetfire? " Jetfire? Thee Jetfire is your grandfather?"

" Yes, why? You have a problem with that?"

He did have a problem with that actually. He didn't like that such a brutish, and unsophisticated follower of Megatron was a descendant of the proud, noble Jetfire. It was quite insulting really. Enough to voice his displeasure.

" Jetfire was my mentor back on Cybertron. He was a good mech, a shame his descendants didn't follow in his footsteps."

" Some of us didn't have much of a choice." smirked Thundercracker, followed by a crackle of electricity on his left side of his head. He hissed in pain. Ratchet dulled the sparks quickly with a grounder and applied a coating of rubber. It wasn't as good as the 'neomonomer' from their planet, but it was a suitable organic substitute.

" We always have a choice." replied Ratchet.

" Then why did you choose to be an Autobot then?"

" Because I wanted to help and heal. Plain and simple. That's my job as a medic, that's what I chose to be. Just like I'm choosing to help you get back on your feet right now."

Thundercracker sneered. " Why? To be your prisoner of war? If that's the case, I'm not going to cooperate with you!"

" It would be in your best interests if you did, since we're being hospitable toward you."

" Hospitable my **aft**! You call shooting an electrified net at me** hospitable**?" he spat

" Only to ground you, we could have killed you on the spot, nothing was stopping us. But we didn't, we thought we'd give you a chance. And besides, it wasn't our idea to shoot that net at you, it was the humans."

" I still refuse to cooperate. You can torture me all you want, but I rather be off-line than help the likes of you, not like that traitor Blackout!" he spat.

" If that's your choice then so be it." he said, and began loosening the bolts that held the outer casing to Thundercracker's spark casing. He was trying to deactivate him.

" No...no! wait! What are you doing?" he screamed. He tried to lift himself up, but that was impossible with inoperable limbs.

" You said you wanted to be off-lined, fine. I'll just say you didn't make it, and leave it as that."

" You're a medic! You can't kill me like that!" shouted the Seeker.

" Then make up your mind, young one! You want to live or die, take your pick!" roared Ratchet. He had just about enough of Thundercracker's attitude.

Thundercracker looked solemnly away, knowing inside he really didn't want to die, and the tough guy act wasn't working on the old bot. "...I want to live."

" Good, now shush and let me work on you." said Ratchet, and gave a sharp nic to on his head to make his point.

" OW!"

" What a sparkling you are."

* * *

Optimus didn't really know what to do at this point. Which was unusual, because he always knew what to do. Supposedly. Well...**he ought to**, he was the leader of the Autobots! But currently, he found himself in...what was that human phrase? Between a rock and a hard place? Yes, that was the one. Bumblebee had relayed to him that he had Megatron, Maggie, Sam, Mikaela and a nurse all safe and sound with him. That was a relief at least. However, he also relayed Agent Simmon's plan to capture Megatron, and imprison him in an undisclosed area for the sake of National Security. And now since it was clear that the attack on the base was linked to the Decepticons wanting their leader back...the agent had enough support to back up his right to take Megatron into custody. If Optimus didn't comply with the arrest, there were going to be some major problems. The government was already teeter-tottering on their choice to let the Autobots take refuge on Earth, never-mind the Decepticons...one bad decision could jeopardize their future and cost them a new home. His ideals were being challenged now. He cared deeply for the beings of this planet. Their safety from the more hostile of his kind was top priority. If he valued that, he would have to let Megatron go. But if he remembered what Bumblebee had said, about Megatron reverting back again. What would that kind of stress do to him? Chances were, it would just exacerbate the problem.

On the flipside, Optimus knew Simmons' plan was not at all sincere. It wasn't just about the safety of his country and loyalty to his fellow humans, it was about personal pride. Simmons' viewed Megatron as a trophy, a prize. To have captured such a lethal threat such as Megatron, was something no one on this planet could boost. The superiority and power that came with capturing an 'alien' was what this man was used to. But now with Megatron as a human man himself...Simmon's power and superiority was no longer there. The respect he had dwindled and he wanted it back...**badly**. Hearing the man's words earlier today told him so much about his character. Ever since they met, there was hostility and distrust. And as much as Optimus didn't want to admit, he really, really disliked the guy. Optimus didn't want his sibling in his hands. If he chose to not surrender Megatron to him, allowing him to escape, there was still the problem of him changing back, and not only that, he'd be in close proximity to where humans were. With the added bonus that Simmons would accuse Optimus of letting Megatron escape on purpose which would more than likely have the governments of this world after **all** of them. They would end up having to escape into space, homeless yet again.

So what was he to do? How was he to chose? Both had the same bad outcome, but at different time rates. Allow Megatron to be captured and change back sooner, or allow him to go free and change back slower. Either way he'd still change back, and he would have to deal with him as always. Though, there was also the possibility Megatron would not be as hostile as before, seeing as he spent time as a human and may have learned some compassion. Especially with Maggie, who undoubtedly was starting to interest his brother romantically and his protectiveness of Mikaela as a kind of surrogate 'daughter'. But he couldn't place his hopes on that alone. A few days as an entirely different species couldn't change a entire lifetime of animosity. In the meantime, Optimus told Bumblebee to hang back, and keep the humans and Megatron away from the agents searching for them. Simply drive in the opposite direction of where they were. Optimus knew this was a temporary measure, but it was also the least suspicious. If Bumblebee escaped through the main gates of the base, the agents would be tracking him, and eventually put two and two together, capturing not only Megatron, but the other humans who would be most likely be charged for crimes by their government in some fashion. Simmons, being in character, would probably pull a few strings to make it as uncomfortable as possible, Something Optimus would definitely feel guilty for.

Being the leader he was, who valued the opinions of his team-mates, he turned to his weapons specialist for any kind of feedback. " Any suggestions, Ironhide?"

" If you want my honest opinion, sir."

" If you will." motioned Optimus.

" ...How I see it, Prime...how well did the humans do to keep Megatron sealed away?"

" Rather poorly, though part of it was also our fault."

" They still did poorly and in that, I say we don't hand Megatron over. Who's the say they won't mess up again? They're asking for another Mission City incident and this time it might be a whole lot worse."

" But there's the problem that we may look as if we're on the side of the Decepticons. Or that we're trying to protect Megatron because he's one of us, one of our species. Humans are intelligent, but they are also easy to offend accidentally. They can take it the wrong way and completely blow everything out of proportion."

" Which is another reason they aren't capable of taking Megatron again. They're too young a species to realize their future actions could backfire."

" I think they do realize, but they can be hard to persuade of that."

" Like sparklings who think they're mechs already." huffed Ironhide.

" I wouldn't say that. They just..."

" Don't know any better?"

" Ironhide." sighed Optimus

" Hey!" shouted a voice behind them, it was Blackout " I got an opinion too you know and it better count! I just helped you guys out!"

" And suddenly that means we can trust you? Because you helped us out **once**?" growled Ironhide. " How about the times before that?"

" You are not innocent either. You have spilled the same amount of energon as I."

" Yours was out of pure ha...!"

Optimus intervened. " Ironhide. Hearing **everyone's** voice on this matter is important. What is it you have to say Blackout?"

" Well hear me out here, this might be a crazy idea but...why don't you escape with him yourself?"

" Escape with him?"

" Yeah! You can keep an eye on him, and if those pesky humans try to take him back, just fire a couple of shots at them. They'll get the hint real fast."

" And cause trouble for the rest of us. If you don't know, we Autobots are sworn to protect all sentient life." explained Ironhide

" And you are. Technically. You're protecting them from their own stupidity. Knowing Megatron...especially you...he's going to find a way to escape from the humans. He did it once, he can do it again. And he has a friend in a very high place that has a major grudge on this planet who would be glad to help him out."

" Who?" asked Optimus, intrigued.

" Ever heard of The Fallen?"

* * *

Sam had dozed off in the front seat with his transformed cellphone, while Marissa was nearly there herself. She didn't know how she got herself involved in all this, but she was too exhausted to backtrack what event led to what. It seemed like a blur of bullets, destruction, and robots. She figured this was probably as close as she would get to be on a battlefield..well at least a 1/3 of that. She looked out the window of the driver's seat and sighed, wondering if she was doing the right thing by helping these people. And what a group it was. A boy with a strange living cellphone and his girlfriend, a robotic hacker, an alien turned human, and a woman who loved him. She smiled at that last thought.

While such a odd couple, they did really seem to adore each other. Her time with working on Megatron was always filled with pain, blood, and cursing. He would never be one of her favorite patients, but seeing his change in attitude when he was reunited with the woman he loved was heartwarming. She wondered what kind of events led them to meeting and eventually developing their relationship. She turned around to see the two had fallen asleep on each other, his chin resting on her head, while she rested on his chest. Their breathing was soft and slow. But was more noticeable was a slight smile on the man's face. A very content and peaceful one. She wished she had a camera to capture that. She looked at the little cellphone perched on Sam's shoulder, it was a camera phone...but looking at the sharp little blades it had, she decided it wasn't worth losing a finger over it.

" So...what's the plan Bumblebee?" she asked softly.

Bumblebee replied, though his voice seemed just as tired sounding as everyone else. No doubt from the whole day of just one incident over the other.

" Optimus said to hang back for a bit, until he can come up with something."

" That's what he said an hour ago."

" I know. There's just a lot to consider before anything final can be decided."

" Yeah but in the meantime we're sitting ducks out here. Sector Seven has already made two close calls already, and once we were almost found out because one of the agents wanted to look into the windows."

" I tinted them. You can't see anything now."

" That's not the point." she sighed. " Look...we're playing a game of cat and mouse here...is that the best you robots can come up with?" asked Marissa " I mean I don't want to seem ungrateful for saving us, but this is not going to work in the long term. Those agents are really using a fine toothed comb on the place. Please tell me your leader is coming up with something better."

" Optimus? Coming up with a better approach...highly unlikely." snorted Megatron, sitting up from his position and being careful to not wake Maggie. " Strategy has never been his strong suit. He rather hide, the coward."

" Oh? And what would **you** come up with then?" asked Sam and then yawn. Seemed everyone was waking up now to join in on the conversation.

" I would escape."

" How? If we leave and they see Bumblebee they'll be on us like hornets to sugar. " asked Marissa

" There's something called a 'distraction'. which we have to our advantage, right Frenzy?"

The blue-eyed bot nodded eagerly. He knew where this was going and liked it. Marissa was a little wary about this, but was open to suggestion. " W-what have in mind, m-lord?"

* * *

" How's the welp?" said Ironhide, walking into the makeshift medical ward.

" I have a name you fragging son of a glitch!" yelled Thundercracker

Ironhide grunted " What's his malfunction? Woke up on the wrong side of the berth?"

" You were the one who shot me! Point blank in the head!"

" Because you wouldn't stop squawking like you're doing now! Ratchet, why is he activated shouldn't he be in status?"

" It's easier for me to find the damage when the patient can tell where he's injured. And don't bicker in here, he's trying to heal."

" I wouldn't have to if he knew enough to shut his mouth." growled Ironhide

" You were a youngling yourself, 'Hide. Just as talkative and tough sounding as any other."

" At least I knew how to be respectful to those who could kick my aft." He huffed, and gave a glare to Thundercracker. He shot one back just as ugly. " Didn't your maker teach you how to pick your fights?"

Thundercracker went silent, but his eyes burned a fierce crimson of defiance toward the weapons specialist. Ratchet huffed in response to the mini staredown. How juvenile. He wanted to learn some information about the whereabouts and plans of the Decepticons, but at this rate they weren't going to get anywhere fast.

" That's enough you two. Now, what I'm interested in is how you and your fellow Seeker found out where Megatron was." said Ratchet

" Why should I tell you that? I don't have to tell you anything!"

" Is that how you repay someone who just saved your life?" asked Ratchet.

" Or to someone who can very easily end it." added Ironhide, his hidden weapons began to whirr. The Seeker visibly grew uneasy.

" My lord...Megatron he...he sent a message out to all of us. Whoever was close enough to hear it, which was my cousin and I."

" How was he able to send out a message?" asked Ironhide. " He's a..."

Ratchet quickly hushed him. Thundercracker didn't know that Megatron was a human now, and he did not want him to find out just yet. Not when they were trying to gain the Seeker's trust.

" How should I know? Look, he sent it out and we followed it. He asked for help but...Starscream being Starscream though it was a perfect time to.."

" To get rid of his leader and take over the Deception faction?" finished Ironhide

" His reputation precedes him I see." smirked the young Seeker. " Yeah, he was planning to assassinate Megatron when he vulnerable. Thing was, we lost the signal coming here, but followed Frenzy and figured he'd lead us to him. Didn't work out how we expected."

" Obviously." huffed Ironhide

" Where is your cousin now?" asked Ratchet

" I don't know...and I don't care. He abandoned me." said Thundercracker forlornly before looking up at the two Autobots. " I told you everything I know, so now what? You gonna kill me?"

" I don't think that's necessary, TC."

Thundercracker craned his neck to where a familiar voice was heard. His optics met with none other than Blackout. His crimson optics narrowed. They were good friends at once time, but to find out he turned traitor during the recent tussle hit him hard. He was once Megatron's right hand mech. He looked up to him once, but now...

" So you're here, traitor? Primus...never thought you'd ever join the Autobots. That's really disappointing."

" I'm not a traitor or an Autobot. I'm under a new leader, who may not be as powerful nor the same species as us. But she holds herself with authority and honor, something I would die for, no doubt. I owe her a great deal."

" Not our spec...? Blackout, tell me it's not a human...I'm not in the mood for terrible jokes like that. I can accept you being an Autobot, at least they have some merit, but not as a follower to those pathetic fleshy parasites."

" Those 'pathetic fleshy parasites' took you down very easily nonetheless. Who's pathetic now?"

" Shut up."

" Now that you're on neutral ground, youngling, this would be a good time to chose the winning side."

" Already on it, thanks." he huffed.

" How many of us are left? Up there? When I got off the ship, there was only 28 that survived. 12 didn't make it because they were severely malnourished and a few of us came down here only to get picked off. Including my partner." said Blackout solemnly. " How many Autobots are there? There's over 40 up there, mostly in stasis, but alive. Those numbers don't look good, TC. Not for our faction. So tell me again...who's winning now?"

" I will not be a traitor and turn to the Autobots, nor will I follow a human. I have more dignity than that." spat Thundercracker

" The do it for our home. Do it as Cybertron's child. Your oath as a Seeker to protect the innocent. This planet is innocent, TC and so are it's creatures. I never cared to kill here, these beings are not part of our war. I killed only as defense, but I was doing it for our home. I wanted to see the Allspark back where it belonged and I trusted Megatron was only looking for our best interests. I was wrong. He was being lead by someone that only wanted our destruction."

The Seeker's optics widened. " Who? Megatron doesn't follow **anyone**."

" You think? Of course...you wouldn't know because you never saw what I saw. You never followed our leader into his private quarters...but I saw something one night, and it chilled me to the core."

" ...What...did you see?"

Blackout hesitated and looked to Ironhide who gave him a nod.

" Tell him what you told Optimus and I."

" I saw...The Destroyer."

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

Merry Christmas everyone!

About time I update this huh? I'm truly sorry about that, I was going through some severe personal problems at home that I won't discuss here, but it really wiped out my motivation to get back to this story, as well as a number of other things I usually enjoy. But now that I'm healed up...sort of, and safe, I can get back to what I do best. This is a short chapter, not much action, but it sets up a few things for the rest of the story. Lots of plans being made on all sides here huh? They're all going to converge soon, just you wait. And now that the characters have acknowledged the presence of The Fallen, this means we are up to our necks in the second movie-plotline. I don't know about you, but I'm excited. I really want to get this story up and rolling again. As wells as focus on a few sub-plots.

On another note, I got a private message today that asked if it was possible to make a Tumblr account for this fanfic. As in, a Tumblr account made specifically for this story, which will allow people to post artwork or fics based off this story, and allow readers to ask me questions. What do you guys think about that? Should it be done? It sounds neat huh? But if I were to do this, I think I'd re-write a few of the first chapters to match the more recent ones in terms of length and structure. Sooo...give me some feedback on this. I'd like to see if it's something you guys might be interested in.

Again, sorry for the huge delay, have a wonderful holiday and God bless! :D


End file.
